Sedna: Rise of the Cinderella Warrior
by stareyed in LA
Summary: Sedna Okpik of District 4 is many things. Girl from the Breck. Fisherman's daughter. Future Career Tribute. Best friend of Coral Andrews, the Academy's best student. When Coral suddenly goes missing, Sedna finds herself having to fight in the cutthroat world of Hunger Games training. Will she rise and be District 4's new hero? Or will she die trying? A 100 Theme Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Introduction**

Theme: 1. Introduction

"Who here wants to be a Victor," the Career Academy official hollers from the stage. A roar of "yeahs!" rushes through the huge auditorium like a tsunami, the vibrations of the cheers rocking the glass windows.

"Who wants to do District 4 proud," the official continues.

The chorus of "yeahs" from the children assembled again shakes the room. Several begin stomping the ground as they hollered.

"That's the spirit we want to see here," the official exclaims, snapping his fingers as he talks. Even though Sedna Okpik and her father are sitting in the back of the hall, they could still get a good look at the speaker standing on the raised stage. He's a young guy, in his early twenties, with dark skin and shaggy brown hair tied back in a pony tail and a tiny microphone clipped to the front of his blue shirt. "Because right now, we have a Victor in our midst. The question is, who is it?"

"I am," the chorus continues. Sedna can't help herself and joins along too.

"I can't hear you?"

"I AM," she screams so loudly a couple of parents sitting in front of them turn to Mr. Okpik hisses, "shut your kid up."

"That's more like it," the official shouts. "But the way I see it, you're all Victors. By enrolling in the Career Academy, you are just beginning your road to the path of fame and fortune. So at this point, you are all winners in your own right. You have proven that you excel beyond all the other children of District 4. The question is, who is the greatest of them all?"

"I AM," the children continue. Several are pumping their fists into the air. Sedna to do the same, but the stabbing pains in her bandaged hands prevent it. It was obvious that she was still feeling that beating she gave Marlin del Rey just a few days before.

"That's the spirit," the official shouts. He steps back so that a young woman with a thick mass of curly black hair and wearing the same blue shirt and khaki pants can take the spotlight.

"Ok everybody, if I may have your attention," she chips into her microphone, "in thirty minutes, we are going to begin registration. When that happens, I want everyone lined up at the double doors to my right so that we can get this done in an efficient and timely manner. But in the meantime, while we finish setting up, feel free to mingle and get to know your classmates. That is all."

All the kids and their parents get up and disperse. Mr. Okpik carefully takes his daughter' hand and leads her out of the aisle of chairs until they're standing in a clear space. There are so many people here. At least over a hundred kids and their parents. And this isn't a very big auditorium.

"Just stay close to me, Sedna," he whispers. The little girl nods her head, still looking around the room. Kids were everywhere. Either trying to find their friends and catch up or talking to some new ones or staying by their parents sides as the grown ups talked. Their ages spanning from five to eleven.

"Hey, Kuruk, I didn't expect to see you here!"

Sedna and Mr. Okpik turn to see a stocky man with a blonde beard running up to us, dragging a little girl by the hand. She looks to be Sedna's age, with a heavy build just like her father and blonde hair tied up into two little buns on her head. When her brown eyes meets Sedna's blue-green ones, the blonde girl flashes her a big smile, like she's excited to see her.

"Nemo," Mr. Okpik shouts. The two men stop and bump fists. "Long time no see! What brings you to Orientation?"

"My girl Coral," Nemo says, nodding to the little girl at his side. "Gonna be District 4's future Victor, she is! The scout said so when he saw her spearfishing with her old man a few weeks ago. And you?"

"My daughter, Sedna," Mr. Okpik replies. "The scout caught her beating up a boy at school. Not too proud of it though. His parents are furious with us."

"Dad says I'm still grounded," Sedna pouts, "I can't have dessert for a week."

By dessert, she means the delicious saltwater taffies Mrs. Okpik keeps in a jar in the kitchen. Although sweets are scare in District 4, saltwater taffy is plentiful. One can buy a big bag of the stuff for a buck from the local candy shop and have it last for months.

"Let's just hope that boy deserved it," Nemo says.

"He did," she spits out, "he laughed at my hair and my overalls. And he called me a boy."

Even though the teachers at school made it a point to preach about how terrible it is to use violence as a problem solver, there were only a number of times Sedna could ignore Marlin del Rey's taunts, the paper balls flicked at her during class, that bubblegum incident that reduced her to tears as her mother snipped off the waist-length locks now coated in that gooey, pink blob into a boyish bob. But the last straw finally came when he cornered her during recess the week before.

Sedna had come to school wearing a new pair of overalls her mother had just upcycled from a pair given by a neighbor whose son had outgrown them. The overalls themselves were old, with gaping holes in the knees and two shredded back pockets that couldn't carry anything small like marbles or sea shells without the contents spilling out. But Mrs. Okpik had turned the overalls into shorts bordered with scraps of colorful fabric patterned with flowers and patched up the back pockets with some pretty patches she had made. And Sedna, who could now easily pass for a boy with her short hair and baggy, thread-bare hand-me-downs from the neighbor's kids, felt so proud owning a pair of pretty overalls that she just had to show them off to school.

And then big, oafish Marlin del Rey ambushed her from the jungle gym during recess, pinning her to the ground as kids began to swarm the scene and Nori, her best friend forever, ran off, shouting for help.

"Now that you're a boy now, let's see if you can fight like one," taunted Marlin, his face as red and sweaty as a steamed lobster hovering mere inches away.

All the rage, all the hatred that had been simmering over a course of three years had now reached a boiling point. In that moment Marlin called Sedna a boy, she had finally decided that today was going to be the day his reign of terror ended. If he was going to continue picking on an eight-year-old girl who was barely four feet tall, then he deserved to have his butt kicked by one.

And with that, Sedna Okpik delivered a swift knee-jerk to his crotch.

By the time Nori found a teacher to break up the fight, all the children in the school yard were chanting, "Sedna! Sedna! Sedna!" while the victor stood over her defeated opponent, who laid on his back, nose broken and spurting blood that stained his face, the front of his shirt, and the sand he lay on while her foot was pressed onto his chest, her fists bruised and battered and covered in blood.

"But it was worth it," Sedna added.

"I'll bet," Nemo replied, "it's easy to see where you get you're fighting spirit from. Your dad was just like that in high school."

Mr. Okpik shrugged, "it was an easy way to earn money back then. And I desperately wanted my own boat at the time."

"Daddy," Coral asked in a confused voice, "who are these people?"

"Ah, stupid me," Nemo says, "Coral, this Kuruk Okpik. He was my best friend in high school."

"And partner in crime," Dad adds, "Remember the Shark Incident from sophomore year?"

"I hear the school never got the stink out of the bio classroom," Nemo hooted. The two men laugh so loudly everyone is turning around to see what's going on while Coral and Sedna stand in silence, trying to decide what to do next. Just stand around like idiot statues or try and be friends like their dads dads?

And then Coral extends a chubby pink hand. "You wanna be my friend," she asks

"Sure," Sedna says, gripping her hand before receiving a vigorous shake from Coral.

* * *

_A/N: I actually never fully intended to do an origin story for Sedna Okpik other than "Bato and the Whale". But after reading both "Bato" and "The Victor's Daughter", I felt that I needed to flesh out certain aspects of Sedna's life more, such as the circumstances that led to her joining the Career Academy, her friendship with Coral and her hatred for Monica, and her life in the Breck. But mostly this story is to explore the circumstances that made her the Career Tribute that she is today._

_Yes, I actually am going to do a hundred chapters, each based on a theme from the "100 Theme Challenge"_

_Well, wish me luck. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Theme: 87. Food

_Seven Years Later_

Just like every morning for the last seven years, the little alarm clock harkened the start of a new day by going off at 4:30 A.M. Sedna Okpik's head immediately shot up from her pillow, one hand fumbling in the darkness to shut off the alarm before it woke up the rest of the family. When the clock was finally silenced, she darted her head around the dark room, rubbing her eyes in the process. When she could see clearly, Sedna noticed that it was still dark outside.

Quietly, she crawled out of the bottom bunk and changed into the clothes she laid out on a chair the night before: a simple white shirt, and comfortable, stretchy black pants that ended at mid-calf. As she finished dressing, a tiny, sleepy voice from the top bunk broke the silence.

Nini Okpik, her younger sister, was tossing and turning in her sleep. "Yeah, I like merboys... Mommy, sea monkeys got my money... since when did whales go into space?

Sedna couldn't help but giggle at what Nini was saying in her sleep. Even if they have been sharing a room since the day Nini was born, that girl would have something to say or do that would make her older sister laugh. As the younger girl rolled over in her sleep, her mumblings ceased. Sedna took a hairbrush from the top of the dresser and began running it through her long, black hair. Once she got all the knots and tangles accumulated over the course of the night out, she pulled her hair back and twisted it into a bun, securing it in place with a couple of rubber bands. When she was done getting ready, she took the pair of old, worn, yet comfortable sneakers from under the bunk bed in one hand and slung her gym bag (in actuality, an old canvas ditty bag that once belonged to her father) over one shoulder before quietly walking out of the tiny bedroom.

The rest of the house was just as dark and silent. Sedna silently threaded through the house, making sure not to make a noise as she passed by her parents' room and the hallway closet her brother Arnook dubbed his "bunk". She also bypassed the kitchen, not stopping to grab a bite to eat on her way out.

One of the perks about attending District 4's Career Academy was that the school served breakfast in the mornings. The staff firmly believed that the best way to start off a day of training was by having a good meal in order to build up stamina. After all, it's difficult to train a potential Victor if they're always starving.

And it allowed the rest of the Okpik family to have a little extra to eat.

Sedna walked out of the house and closed the front door behind her, locking it in the process. It was dark out, and so early that she was the only person out on the street at that hour. Most fishermen tend to leave for the docks at around five. And the ones who were awake would already be there or be out at sea.

She proceeded down the dirt road that connected the Breck, that section of District 4 that housed all the fishermen and their families, to the rest of the District. As she walked, she took in the sounds of the waves crashing in the distance and the shrill cry of sea gulls circling overhead as she had every morning. It was just another familiar aspect to her day. Overhead, the moon was full and bright, casting a silvery glow on whatever it's light touched while making it easier to see where she was going. She hated the nights when there was a new moon as well as the ones leading up to and following it. She hated the absolute darkness that enveloped the little neighborhood she grew up in. Once, several years ago, the residents tried to remedy the problem by hanging lit lanterns from posts and placing them on the ground so that they can find their way home in the dark. But the Peacekeepers told them to end it or else.

They said something about the lanterns becoming a fire hazard, but the people of the Breck assumed it was because the Peacekeepers thought it was a signal for Anti-Capital resistance. Or something like that.

Sedna took a detour off of the main road and walked up to one of the cottages, stopping in front of the front window and rapping on the window with three swift knocks. Something was moving about inside, grumbling incoherently, before jerking the window open and revealing a bleary-eyed teenage girl with tangled, straw colored hair that barely touched her shoulders.

"Morning, Coral," Sedna greeted her, "are you feeling better today?"

Coral had missed a week of classes at the Career Academy. Her grandmother said it was because of a virus going around in the District.

"Kinda," Coral slurred, eyes still shut, "Gramps says I hafta go anyways... gimme ten. 'Kay?"

"I'll be waiting out on the front porch," Sedna said. Coral gave her a sheepish smile and closed the window shut. As she promised, Sedna sat herself down on the front steps and waited for Coral to come out. As she waited, she watched as another teenage girl living across the street from Coral left her house, disappearing momentarily to retrieve a surfboard from the shed next door. When the girl, a tall, gangly thing with bronzed skin and thick red hair matted into dreadlocks caught sight of Sedna, she flashed a hang loose sign. Sedna returned the gesture.

The surfer girl she knew as Nori O'Reilly smiled before taking off in the direction of the beach. Nori was an avid surfer who made a point to get in a few waves each morning before school.

Once, many years ago, Sedna Okpik and Nori O'Reilly had been the best of friends. They were the same age, were in the same year at school before Sedna dropped out to attend the Academy, and lived close to each other. Their mothers were also close friends who got together to chat or to visit the beach whenever they could. But as the years passed, and as Sedna got more and more involved with her training, she began to see less of Nori. Eventually, they drifted apart and found their own set of friends. Sedna had Coral while Nori had the Bay Boys, a gang of surfer boys.

Nowadays, the very early morning hours was the only time of the day she ever got to see the girl she once considered to be her "bestest friend in the whole wide universe."

The door opened then shut behind Sedna and Coral Andrews came down the steps, pulling her hair back into a top knot. Then they took off for the Career Academy.

The front courtyard of the Career Academy of District 4 was deserted.

Figures, Sedna thought, glancing up to see the huge clock that hung over the front door. It was 5:30 in the morning, and she and Coral were the first two students to arrive. Just like every morning since they were twelve years old and finally old enough to walk to school alone.

They entered the silent, massive halls, the rubber soles of their shoes squeaking against the linoleum covered floor as they walked to the girl's locker room. On the way, they passed by a massive bulletin board with names tacked to it, organized by age group and going in order from best student in the Academy to worst. When she passed by, Sedna noticed that her own name was ranked third out of the eight in her age group, fifteen and sixteen year olds, while Coral was listed as number one. In second place was Monica Davenport, the Queen Bee of the Career Academy. Sedna smirked at seeing Monica being beaten out by Coral Andrews, the scholarship student from the Breck.

The purpose behind the bulletin board was to track the students' progress at training. Usually, trainees listed in the number one spot in their age groups were the ones who were going to volunteer in the Hunger Games. That was just a fact no one was going to dispute. After all, the district was training kids to win these Games for the sake of obtaining extra food rations. Wouldn't it just make sense to send in the best students?

As they walked inside, Sedna turned to her left to see Coral looking sick, her tan face twinged with green.

"Corrie, you alright," Sedna asked softly, taking her friend's hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Yeah," Coral gulped. "I'm fine."

"It's early, Monica is never here at this hour," Sedna reassured her. Coral nodded and followed her friend into the locker room. After they deposited their ditty bags in their lockers, they took off for the mess hall.

There, Sedna loaded her tray with scrambled eggs, thick rashers of bacon, warm biscuits, and fat chunks of fried ham. Coral took a bowl of oatmeal and nothing else.

"No strawberries today," Sedna asked as they took to their usual table in the cafeteria. Coral loved strawberries. On the days when they were in season, she would eat them as if they were going to vanish by the next day. She would get at least two bowls and pile them high with the plump, red fruits and devour them in five minutes flat.

Her lips were permanently stained in that bright red colour from eating so many strawberries over the years.

Coral shook her head and remained silent for the rest of the meal.

As she finished off her meal with relish, Sedna noticed that Coral had only taken a few bites of oatmeal.

"C'mon, Corrie, you can't go through the day with just a coupla bites of oatmeal," Sedna said. "At least tried the fried ham. It's delicious."

"I'm really not that hungry," Corrie said. "That virus really did a number to my appetite."

She looked up and gave her friend a wan smile. "The thought of food makes me sick."

"But if you don't eat, you'll get sick," Sedna pointed out, "look at you! You've lost weight."

Just a year ago, Coral had been one of the heaviest girls at the Academy. Now, she was at least fifty pounds lighter, almost as skinny as Monica Davenport.

"At least take a sausage sandwich to go," Sedna suggested, shooting a pleading look as she did so. It was never really easy being Coral's personal cheerleader, especially since she was so unbelievably stubborn. "Please?"

Coral sighed. "Alright."

The two walked out of the mess hall minutes later, Coral taking tiny bites of the sandwich at Sedna's persistent urging.

When Sedna wasn't looking, Coral handed her sandwich to a custodian, gesturing for him to be silent as she did so.


	3. Chapter 3

Theme: 50. Breaking the Rules

"Coral, you're up next."

Sedna looked over from the target where she had been practicing archery. At the neighboring knife-throwing station, Coral had taken a parcel of knives from an attendant and stood up on the designated line. When she was satisfied with her stance, she took the first of the knives, gripping the handle before flinging it at the human-shaped target propped before her.

One... thunk... two... thunk... three... thunk.

Over and over again in perfect rhythm, the knives found their way into the target. When Coral was finished, the target bore six knives neatly embedded in the "kill spots": heart, lung, throat, and brain.

The knife station loudly clapped his hands. "Great work," he hooted, "no tribute will stand a chance against you."

Coral gave a smile smile at the attendant. The other trainees waiting to use the station glared at her. One girl, Monica Davenport, whispered something into her friend's ear. As she whispered, the two girls began snickering behind cupped hands.

Sedna felt rage boiling up inside of her. In her mind, she was picturing herself picking up the bow and sending an arrow flying through the air before resting in the middle of Monica Davenport's flawless tan forehead.

Before she could do anything else, a rough hand clamped down on her shoulder and brought her back into the real world.

"Sedna, are you going to shoot that last arrow," the archery attendant sternly asked, "there are two others waiting to use it." Sedna nodded in reply.

"Yeah, just give me a second."

Sedna assumed the proper archers stance: legs open and straddling the line painted on the stations floor. She raised her bow, the already notched arrow level with her eyes. Arms stiff, fingers curled over the bow string that is pulled back and taut. When she had aimed the arrow at the bulls-eye, she took a deep breath and released the string.

THUNK!

"Not bad," the attendant remarked.

Sedna looked up to see where the arrow had landed. It was resting in the in the training dummy's left shoulder. Barely did any real damage unless the unlucky tribute relied on their left arm.

She let out a groan of frustration before handing the bow to the next waiting trainee before walking to the knife station and joining Coral at her side. There was just no way she was ever going to excel at training. And why even try anymore. Chances are looking good that Coral will volunteer when the time comes. If there was any reason why Sedna remained a student, it was to be a sidekick to the talented Coral Andrews, another girl from the Breck to balance out the ratio of poor kids and rich kids.

Besides, Sedna also has a scholarship. And the free food is an added plus.

Monica Davenport was up. She clutched the small throwing knifes in one hand and was flinging them at the target like Coral earlier. One... two... three...

When she was done, the knives weren't embedded deep in the "kill spots" like Coral's had. They were everywhere! One knife in the right shoulder, two in the stomach, and three that had completely missed their targets.

Monica shot the attendant a dirty look. "I want another turn," she demanded.

"Monica, you know the rules just as well as everyone else here. You get one round with each station, then you let the next person waiting have a go," the attendant reminded her sternly.

"Excuse me, but you seem to have forgotten who I am," Monica said, "I'm the daughter of Phineaus Davenport, Victor of the 41st Hunger Games. He is one of the benefactors of this Academy!"

"So what," a voice called out from the group of trainees watching the start of Monica's tantrums. Everyone turned to see who the speaker was. Ariel Finn stepped forward, her blue eyes focusing on Monica. "My mother and my grandmother are Victors as well. In fact, my grandmother is one of the founders of this Academy. But you don't see me demanding extra turns, do you?"

"Then how come I saw you getting extra practice sessions at the archery station last week," Monica spat.

Ariel's face burned to a colour as brilliantly red as her hair. "There was no one waiting there and the guy manning it gave the okay," she said in a flustered voice.

"Okay, break it up ladies," the knife station attendant said, stepping in between the two girls, his hands raised at the sides to keep them apart. "Monica, I'm sorry, if there are other people waiting to use the station, then you're just going to have to wait your turn like everyone else. It's only fair."

Monica glared at the attendant before spitting out a "fine" like it was a dirty word. She turned on her heels and proceeded to the back of the line, all the while grumbling about how her father will hear about this.

When Monica was out of earshot, Sedna turned to Coral and said, "I think you were great today. Monica's just being a sore loser about it. She probably doesn't practice as much as you do."

This brought a smile to Coral's face. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Just as they were heading to another station together, the school bell rang, marking the end of their training sessions.

The way the Career Academy scheduled it's day was by beginning each morning at seven A.M with a three hour period designated for weapons training followed by a two hour class period and a half-hour lunch period after that. Following lunch, students were subjected to alternating periods for school work and Hunger Games training. Even though the students enrolled in the Academy were trained exclusively to win a televised battle royale, this did not free them regular school work. They were still expected to learn mathematics, English, science, and history.

If there was any plus side to the class periods, it was the classroom sizes. She always hated being in a huge, noisy classroom and always found herself thanking some higher deity for sparing her from that fate. She could never get anything done in a noisy environment.

As Sedna noticed over time, that the older she got, the more the class size shrunk. When she began her Career training at the age of eight, there were forty other children enrolled in her age group. By the time she turned fifteen, that number had shrunk to eight, including herself.

Over time, kids dropped out of the Career Academy. In just the last year, seven trainees in Sedna's age group quit the Academy. Reasons ranged from being too scared to compete in the Hunger Games to the family being unable to afford the tuition to being needed at home to begin working at an early age to just wanting a normal life to sustaining some kind of injury that forever ruined their chances of ever achieving fame and fortune.

The latter was the most common issue behind Sedna's classmates leaving. Barney Collins tore his Achilles tendon. Dana Plymouth and Alfonso Spicolli both sustained fractured vertebrae. And Nettie Cortez received a concussion so bad she still can't recognize her family. All scholarship students hailing from the Breck and Cannery Row who sustained injuries in training accidents.

As Sedna walked into the small classroom, she noticed for the first time the lack of trainees from the Breck and from Cannery Row, the section of District 4 that houses all the canning facilities and the living quarters for the people employed there. Out of the eight trainees remaining in the age group, three were relatives of previous Hunger Games victors, one was the mayor's son, another the son of the guy who owns most of the canning factories in District 4, and one the daughter of a very wealthy merchant in town. The only two scholarship students left were Sedna and Coral, the girls from the Breck.

Sedna took to her assigned seat in the middle of the classroom. Coral arrived a minute later and took a seat in front of her, followed by Monica Davenport, who sat down at Sedna's left side, and one of her cronies, Laguna Newporte, the merchant's daughter, on her right.

Why the teacher assigned the classroom seating so that the poor girls had to be sandwiched between the wealthier students, Sedna had no idea. But she wouldn't have been surprised if it was further humiliate them for being from the Breck. After all, what can be worse than being in a classroom surrounded by snobby, elitists who think they should win the Hunger Games because their mother or father or grandfather won the Games decades before?

When the school bell rang, signaling the start of class time, the teacher, Mr. Collier, strode into the room and picked up on the lesson he left off the day before.

The lesson itself was as dry and bland as a piece of old whitefish jerky. As Mr. Collier droned on about the history of Panem prior to the Dark Days, Sedna found herself drifting off, her mind a million miles away.

In her head, she was envisioning herself on a beach in summer. She didn't have to go to the Academy. Not today. It was a day off. And she was enjoying herself by tanning on the warm sand, watching her brother and sister goof off with their friends while Coral played in the waves and Nori was coming up the beach from the water with her surfboard in tow, babbling about some gnarly wave she caught. But Sedna wasn't really paying attention. She was too busy watching Nini and Arnook chasing each other on the sand. Arnook was pursuing his younger sister, shouting how she can't escape the "Dread Pirate Black Heart Arnie". Sedna was so busy watching her siblings play that she didn't notice when something blunt kept jabbing into her shoulder.

Sedna snapped out of her daydream and turned to find Monica glaring at her. She held out a folded note clenched between fingers studded with two expensive-looking rings set with pink diamonds.

"Pass it on," Monica whispered. Laguna nodded her head and extended one hand out, gesturing for Sedna to take the note and pass it on to her.

Thinking that there could be no harm done with relaying a simple message, Sedna took the note, only to drop it to the ground when Mr. Collier turned to see her and Monica exchanging notes.

"Ms. Okpik," Mr. Collier began in a stern voice, "you know the rules in this classroom. Care to explain it to the class?"

Sedna's mouth hung open. "Mr. P, it was Monica's..." she stammered.

"Now, Ms. Okpik, or I will have no choice but to send you to the headmasters office," he commanded. He walked up to Sedna and stood at her desk, his arms folded over his barrel-like chest, his blue eyes as cold as the winter sky boring into her blue-green ones.

"There is to be no passing of notes in this class," Sedna answered sternly.

"And do you know the punishment for students who pass notes in class," Mr. Collier asked.

Sedna nodded her head. Thinking Monica had merely scribbled down some dribble that only a rich bimbo would bother writing down, she picked up the note and unfolded it. As soon as she read it, she was sure she would be cleared.

Sedna cleared her through and read the note out loud to the class.

"Coral Andrews is a dyke," Sedna read in a monotone before stopping and holding the page up to her eyes. No, that couldn't be. She didn't just say that. It had to have been some kind of sick mistake. There was no way, in a million years, that Sedna would ever call her best friend since childhood such a disgusting slur.

The class let out an audible gasp while Mr. Collier continued to glare at Sedna.

"Ms. Okpik, seeing as how this is your first classroom violation, I am only going to let you off with a warning," he continued in that stern, harsh voice, "but if I catch you doing this again, I will have no choice but to send you to the headmasters office. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now I don't want any more interruptions out of the rest of you," he nodded to the rest of the class, some of whom could barely contain their giggling that they just heard a dirty word in the classroom.

Humiliated and red faced, Sedna sat down in her chair. As she sank back into her seat, she caught a glimpse at Coral's face. Her expression read between a mixture of heartbreak and anger.

"How could you," Coral mouthed before turning her face away from Sedna.

For the rest of the lesson, Sedna could not, for the life of her, be able to erase the image of her upset and traumatized best friend staring back at her with two reddened eyes brimming with tears. It was an image that she was sure would be forever burned into her mind. How can anyone forget the how their best friend looked when they realized he or she has just been betrayed by one of their friends? A best friend for that matter? Even if it was by accident. Even if Sedna didn't know what was written in that note. Even if she was sure she was set up to be humiliated in front of the class by the class Queen Bee, Monica Davenport.


	4. Chapter 4

Theme: 26. Tears

"Corrie, I'm sorry," Sedna shouted as she sprinted down the hallway after Coral. Class had just ended for the day and there was a fifteen minute break before another training period. Coral was running down the hall, trying and failing to contain her cries. The vast hallways seemed to echo with their footsteps and Coral's strained sobs.

The blonde girl rounded a corner and ran into the safety of a girl's bathroom. Sedna followed, pushing aside the door and running up to the stall Coral had locked herself in. Knowing that there was no way she could rip the door off, Sedna resorted to pounding on the door and pleading for forgiveness. "Corrie, I'm sorry! If I had known what Monica wrote I wouldn't have passed the note. You've gotta believe me. For the love of Poseidon, you know that I would never say anything like that. I hate swearing! I'm always telling Erica Lee to clean up her language because she can't be a teacher if she keeps using the f-word in every sentence she says!"

Coral said nothing. Instead, she cried. Her wails ricocheted off the walls and echoed through out the vacant space. The effect was very eerie. As if this whole place was designed to torment Sedna for her deed by amplifying Coral's crying.

"Corrie, please come out," Sedna said softly, her voice now choking with tears. "Please, I'm sorry. I didn't know. You have to understand."

After a few minutes, the stall door swung open and Coral stepped out. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her flushed cheeks damp with tears. She wrapped her skinny arms around Sedna's neck and collapsed into her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"I know," Coral whispered in a soft, broken voice, the cries wracking her body. "I know you would never do something like that on purpose. But it still hurts."

"Believe me when I say it hurt me to do that to you," Sedna said, pulling her friend in an embrace. "I think Monica did that to get me in trouble. She hates us Breck girls."

Coral nodded. "She hates me more," she choked out, "all because I'm better at knife throwing than her. You heard the attendant from earlier. He said that no tribute stands a chance against me. And it's true."

"But that's a good thing. If you were in the Hunger Games, you would totally win," Sedna said smiling, "Monica would probably end up a bloodbath tribute."

Coral grinned and it warmed Sedna's heart to see her smile. "What I wouldn't give to see that. I know it's not nice, but if there is anyone who deserves to die in a bloodbath, it's Monica Davenport."

Sedna reached out and began rubbing circles into her friend's back. Coral's breathing deepened, the sobs lessening until they were nearly nonexistent. When she was sure her friend was calmed down, Sedna took Coral's arm and wrapping it around her shoulder, snaking her own limb around her waist and holding her tightly. "C'mon, we've got that training period to go to. Don't wanna be late for that, right?"

Coral nodded and they walked out of the bathroom together, hand in hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Theme: 74. Are You Challenging Me?

The locker room was buzzing with activity when Sedna and Coral walked in. Sedna sat Coral down on a bench and began opening up Coral's locker. When the metal door swung open, Sedna deposited her friend's books and pencil bag and retrieved her work out clothes. Coral was staring out into space.

"What do you think you're looking at," a sharp voice snapped.

One of the eighteen year old trainees, a muscular girl still wearing only a pair of running shorts and a sports bra two sizes too small for her buxom build loomed threateningly over a cowering Coral.

"I... I... don't know what you... mean," Coral stuttered.

Before anyone could stop her, the muscular girl threw Coral to the ground, one massive hand wrapped around her throat so that if she wanted to escape, she could risk strangulation.

"Let her go," Sedna screamed. She grabbed the ditty bag in Coral's locker and swung it at the girl. Because her weapon was only a canvas bag filled with clothes and toiletries, it didn't leave any effect on the girl. She continued to pin the struggling Coral to the ground.

"I'll have you know, I won't take having you looking at me that way," the girl snarled.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do any thing," Coral cried out.

Sedna had now abandoned the bag and had resorted to trying to pull the girl off of Coral. But she was older, bigger, better trained to resist any physical attack. As Sedna tried to fight the girl from behind, she retained her choke hold.

By now the locker room was empty. And it was likely that no one was going to be looking for a staff member to break up the fight. Moreover, if any student of the Career Academy has seen one scuffle break out in the locker room, they've seen them all.

"You liar," the girl accused, "I saw the way you were looking at me. And everyone in this school knows you're just a dirty dyke from the Breck." She bent down and whispered maliciously in Coral's ear, "and no one wants a lesbo for a Victor. So keep your eyes to yourself. Or you might just regret it."

The girl released her hold on Coral, leaving her to gasp loudly on the ground. Sedna bent down to help her up. Coral's attacker ignored the scene, pausing to grab a shirt before walking out of the locker room as if nothing ever happened.

"Corrie," Sedna asked quietly, "you want me to take you to the nurses?"

Coral shook her head. Her hands reached up to touch the red, hand-shaped imprints left on her throat and winced. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"I know you don't want to, but it's still a good idea to go anyway," Sedna said. She escorted her friend out of the locker room and down the hallway to the nurses office.

"Another training accident," the nurse asked as Sedna sat Coral down on one of the cots.

"Fight," she explained. "One of the older girls attacked her." The nurse garbed in white scrubs clucked softly as she examined the bruises around her throat.

"This is nothing," the nurse remarked, "the marks should clear up within a week. But..." She paused to examine Coral's face. She still had that downcast, sullen expression since the incident in class. "It's best if Ms. Andrews goes home for the rest of the day to heal up. Does she have a relative who can pick her up?"

"Both her grandparents work," Sedna explained, "and her dad's away at sea."

"How about her mother?"

Sedna shook her head, "she ran off with some guy when Coral was really little. The Andrews haven't heard from her in years."

"Well then, I can't leave her to go home alone. Ms. Okpik, will you escort Ms. Andrews out? I'll make sure to call the Training Master to inform him that you both won't be attending the training period today."

With that, Sedna wrapped her arm around Coral's waist, slinging her arm over her shoulders. The two girls walked out of the office and down the hall before going out the front doors.

It was mid afternoon now. The sun high and shining brightly in the cloudless sky. The streets outside the academy filled with District 4 residents going about their day while Peacekeepers in glossy white armor patrolled the streets. One such Peacekeeper stopped the two girls as they were passing through the front gate.

"Shouldn't you two be in school," he asked sternly.

"I'm taking my friend home, she isn't feeling too well," Sedna said. The Peacekeeper waived her aside and they walked to the Andrew's residence together, without incident.

* * *

A/N: Maybe this wasn't the best interpretation of this theme. The way I viewed it was that the older girl thought that Coral was challenging her sexuality. It should be noted that I wrote the eighteen-year-old as a girl who is subject to people thinking she is gay because of her tomboyish attitude and massive build. The girl, Murdann, meaning 'sea warrior', always felt defensive of her sexuality and often employed violence as a means of coping. As a result, this only added to her already-aggressive image.

This isn't the last time you will see Murdann. She'll appear again.


	6. Chapter 6

Theme: 5. Seeking Solace

After unlocking the front door with a key Mrs. Andrew kept hidden under a stone in the front yard, Sedna led Coral to her bedroom and sat her down on the bed. Coral just sat there, fingers on her throat, eyes cast down.

"I'll be back," Sedna said softly.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna get us something to drink. What are you in the mood for?"

"My grandma keeps a box of chamomile tea in the cupboard over the sink. You can you the mugs in the dish drainer."

Sedna nodded in agreement and returned ten minutes later with two mugs of steaming hot tea, handing one to Coral. Together, they sat in silence for an hour until Sedna asked. "How long has this been going on for. It feels like I only just found out about all this today. But the way things were today, it feels like it's been going on for a while."  
Coral spoke up in that soft, weak voice. "It's been going on for nearly six months now. Ever since Nettie quit the Academy. At first, it began with whispers and rude notes in my locker. Or they would say things in ear shot so that only I could hear. But today... today was just horrible."

Sedna started at Coral. "Then why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I tried. But everyone keeps telling me to ignore it. Or to suck it up because things will get even worse in the Arena," Coral explained, her voice now choking with sobs. She pressed her face against Sedna's shoulder and cried. Sedna reached up and stroked Coral's sandy blonde hair. "I hate it so much. And there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Sedna has nothing to say. As she really had to offer was companionship for a friend who desperately needed it. Finally, she opened her mouth and said, "well, think of it this way. You're really good at throwing knives. If you were in the Games, you'd probably be a Victor. All Monica has is her good looks, and that hardly gets you far in the Arena. Well, unless your from 1, and the Capital always favors them cause that's where they get all their diamonds and perfumes and all that other high priced garbage."

Coral snorted in laughter. It might not have been much, but Sedna smiled at her friend's gesture.

"She'll probably be a Bloodbath," Sedna mused, "while you get to spend the rest of your life in the Victor's Village without any care in the world."

Meanwhile, the front door creaked open and someone walked inside, humming a sailor's song while they placed a bag full of heavy objects on the counter and the keys on the hook by the door.

"That must be your gran," Sedna said. "I'll be back."

She walked out of the bedroom and found Mrs. Andrews' back turned to her as the older woman was unloading the contents out of her shopping bag. When she realized someone was standing behind her, Mrs. Andrews turned and smiled at her granddaughter's friend. "Oh, hello Sedna. I didn't expect to see you here this early."

Sedna returned the greeting before telling her, "There was an incident at the Academy involving Coral." From there, she went on to explain what had happened in class and in the locker room. As she told her story, Mrs. Andrews' face turned from concern to sadness and worry.

"I was afraid this would happen again," she said when Sedna finished her story. "Corrie told me all about it. We've filed incident reports and complained but they didn't do anything about it. It breaks my heart to hear this is going on, but we just don't know what else to do anymore. I've suggested that Coral quit and go back to a regular school but she's refused."

Sedna realized why. Monica would continue to harass Coral, call her weakling or another worse word.

"Does Mr. Andrews knows," Sedna asked.

"He knows that Coral is being harassed, but he thinks it's all juvenile stuff and they'll stop one day," Mrs. Andrews said, "but how should he know? He quit school at twelve so he could work as a cabin boy and hasn't gone back to class since!"

"So, what do you plan on doing?"

"It's really up for Coral to decide. I can offer my own two cents, but in the end, this is her education and her future. So she needs to be the one to call the shots."

"I understand. Just let me check up on her and then I'll leave."


	7. Chapter 7

Theme: 41. Teamwork

Ten minutes later, Sedna was walking out of the front door when she found herself accosted by a blur of bright red, matted hair.

"Seddie! I didn't realize the Academy let you out early! We need to seriously hang out sometime 'cause it's been like forever," the blur squealed, a pair of strong, bronzed arms snaking around Sedna's ribs and squeezing her tightly. Sedna gasped, trying to regain her bearings and see what had ambushed her.

"Nori," she gasped. "What the heck?"

Nori O'Reilly unleashed her hold and stepped back. Sedna made a quick look at her appearance. Unlike the freckle faced kindergartner she had been friends with so long ago, this girl before her was taller, more muscular, her freckles long blended into her tanned face. Her wild red curls were now matted into long, thick dreadlocks the same width and height as the sausages the butcher in town kept on display in the window. The fat coils of hair were pulled back and some of the dreads were decorated with bits of carved beads, bits of string wrapped around the locks, little charms, and bits of shell and sea glass we would find on the shore. But if there was one thing that remained the same about her, it was her bright green eyes and the wide, boyish grin that revealed a mouth full of teeth that shone like a string of pearls.

"Sorry," Nori hastily apologized, tucking one of the dreadlocks behind her ear. "It's just that, I missed you. We never hang out anymore. C'mon, let's hang out now!"

"Now?"

"You have the day off, right?"

Sedna paused and thought about it for a moment. She knew that she should be back at the Academy. But she did get an excuse to escort Coral home under the pretense of needing to comfort her. And the school probably knows she won't be back for the rest of the day. They all think she is taking care of Coral.

"Not exactly," Sedna said. Nori shot her a confused look.

"What do you mean? You either have the day off or you don't. You can't say you kind of have a day off. That just doesn't make sense?"

"Can we go somewhere private to talk," Sedna asked, "I don't feel comfortable discussing this out in the open."

"Yeah, sure. I live across the street, so..." Nori took Sedna by the hand and led her to the little white and blue cottage on the other side. They got inside and passed through the house before stopping to rest in the room Nori shared with Aran, her younger brother.

Sedna sat down on the bottom bunk and looked around the room. Although it had been years since she last visited the O'Reilly household, the room still looked almost the same as it did seven years ago. The bunk beds were outfitted with the same scratchy, navy blue blankets and the window sill was decorated with the same collection of sea shells and sea glass Nori picked up over the years. There was that creaky old dresser in one corner of the room and colored drawings of seascapes and sunsets pinned to the walls. The only change was that there was a surfboard propped in one corner and some fishing equipment scattered on the floor.

"You've gotta pardon the mess, I keep telling Aran to clean this place up but he doesn't listen," Nori remarked as she took a seat next to Sedna. "You have a brother, you know what's that like. So," she leaned forward, propping her jaw on one hand, staring at Sedna. "What've you been up to lately? Still chummy with Coral. Well, duh, 'course you do 'cause I see you at her house every morning."

Sedna sat silently as Nori blabbed on and on and on. When she realized that she had spent close to an hour yapping on about surfing, school, and life being the only girl in a surfer gang, Nori paused.

"You alright," she asked.

Sedna snapped out and found herself looking at her old friend. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Nori examined her. "I know you act like that whole 'I'm like a rock' schtick, but you aren't really being yourself. Don't ask how I can tell. I just can. It's like a sixth sense or something."

What's the point of lying, Sedna thought, before she said, "Coral's being bullied."

From there, she recounted once more the day's events and Coral's confession. As she continued, Nori's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly.

"That bitch," she exclaimed when Sedna told her about Monica and the note. "No, really. I thought Monica was just a jerk before, but this is just downright diabolical. Didn't you report it?"

Sedna shook her head, "Coral and her grandma tried but never did anything about it. And she's always being told to just suck it up."

"Then do it again, do it until they have to take notice and do something about it," Nori said, "Sedna, this is abuse. This can't go on."

"Well, no one is doing a thing about it. This is a school where kids are being groomed into entering the Hunger Games. There is no time to report this sort of thing. And if there was, they'd just brush it off as just 'oh, well you better deal with it because it'll get worse in the Arena.' They just think those kids need to toughen up. And those bullies, they're all rich. They aren't scholarship students like me and Coral. Monica's dad's a Victor and she says that he donates money to the school. They aren't going to punish a girl whose dad is funding all this. That'll just cause more trouble."

Sedna finished her rant and laid back on the bed. Nori followed suit, the two girls lying side by side, their eyes looking up on the wood paneled backing of the bunk overhead.

"So you can't really do a thing about it," Nori asked.

"No, I can do something. Maybe it won't stop the bullying, but it will at least be something," Sedna said, "all I can do now is just to be a friend for Coral. Be her support. Try to protect her as much as possible. It won't be much, but maybe Coral can go through this if she knows that she has at least one friend by her side."

"That's really noble of you," Nori said. "Can I also be Coral's friend?"

"Sure," Sedna smiled, "the more the merrier. Maybe if Coral has a network of friends, it'll help her. She'll know there are people who love her and she'll do better knowing that they will be there for her no matter what."

"I don't see why that wouldn't work," Nori said, "it's a good idea. We'll be like a team. Team Coral. That has a nice ring to it."

Team Coral. Yeah, that does have a nice ring to it, Sedna thought.

(A/N: Again, maybe this theme wasn't the best choice for this chapter. But I like how this turned out.)


	8. Chapter 8

Theme: 14. Smile

Coral returned to the Academy the following day. For the rest of the week, Sedna stayed close to her, keeping an eye out for the friend who could easily crack from the horrible taunts heaped on her. Although the taunts continued, Sedna was always there to reassure Coral that everything would be alright, and that no everyone hated her.

There was no school on Saturday, and Sedna took the free day to introduce Coral to the members of her newly-created fanclub, now dubbed "Team Coral". In the span of five days, the club's ranks swelled from just Sedna and Nori to include their siblings, a couple of Bay Boys, and some kids from the neighborhood.

"It's not much, just who I could recruit from school," Nori admitted while Sedna watched as Coral socialized with these new friends.

"But any bit helps," Sedna reassured her. "I mean, Coral looks happy."

For the first time in ages, Coral finally smiled. She grinned from ear to ear, her strawberry-stained lips parting to reveal a genuine, I'm-so-happy-to-see-you smile. Not a strained, forced grin. But a real smile.

It became a point to hang out together on the weekends. Serve as a pick-me-up for Coral whenever she had a bad week. There wasn't much to do in District 4, so they relegated club activities to hanging out on the beach, going sailing, or exploring the outer parts of the district that wasn't cordoned off with the electrified fence. In the evenings, they would gather together for a bonfire on the beach or just hanging out in someone's living room, being treated to Skeezer Mason's guitar playing or swapping ghost stories.

Even if the meetings weren't much. Even if several members were absent one weekend or they had to hold it in doors because of rain, Coral always left with a real smile on her face.

"I had so much fun today," Coral said as she and Sedna walked back to the Andrews' residence. "I wish I could have days like this all the time."

"Yeah, me too," Sedna agreed, if only because it meant seeing her best friend return to her chipper disposition for a day.

The worst part about the weekend was when it ended.

Then it was back to Hell.

Back to seeing Coral struggling to stay sane as she continued being the butt of Monica's taunts.

Those were the days when Coral's smile faded. The days when the smile disappeared into a slight frown as she ducked her head in the hallways, avoiding all eye contact, never speaking up unless spoken to. Never giving herself a chance to shine except in knife-throwing, and only with Sedna's encouragement from the sidelines.

And then the weekend would come and Coral would brighten up with the prospect of seeing her new friends in Team Coral again before the weekly cycle repeated itself.


	9. Chapter 9

heme: 21. Vacation

A month after Team Coral formed, Sedna and Coral left the Academy in high spirits. Tomorrow was Reaping Day, and it meant an indefinite holiday from school until the Games ended and a Victor was crowned.

During the Hunger Games, to make up for the days spent missing school and those vital training sessions, the Career Academy sent the trainees home with a project. They had to keep a journal chronicling what was going on in the Hunger Games and, if possible, pinpoint any mistakes the Tributes made and then write out what they should have done instead.

Sedna always hated this assignment since it meant having to sit around the television all day and write down every minute error some Tribute or Career who would otherwise be too dumb to live or who never stood a chance make. If there was a plus side, at least she got to do the project with Coral. Somehow, homework was more tolerable when there's a friend who shares in the misery.

Through out the week, the Academy was buzzing with students speculating on who was going to volunteer. At first, it was exciting to talk about who should volunteer, but with only four trainees, a boy and three girls, left in the seventeen and eighteen year old age group, conversation grew stale by Tuesday. By Wednesday, almost everyone came to the unanimous decision over who should volunteer, trainees Sedna hardly knew or cared about. And by Friday, everyone was antsy with anticipation over the Reaping that was set for the following day. Both to see who will actually get the honor of representing District 4 and also for the month-long hiatus that ensued.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Coral said, smiling.

"Yeah, me too," Sedna agreed, "the festival they hold after the Reaping should be fun. I hear Mags is ordering a massive cake to be served to the District. And that another Victor, can't remember who, is hosting a kegger. I don't know what it entails, but I'd totally check it out if I get the chance."

"I wasn't thinking about the Reaping, I was just thinking about how great it will be to be out of class for a few weeks," Coral said. "I need a vacation from Monica and school. And it'll be fun getting to hang out with the guys more often."

"Yeah," Sedna agreed. As they walked, she noticed how there was some color returning to Coral's wan face. Her cheeks were a little flushed and some of her tan was making a comeback, and her eyes, normally dull, were now sparkling with excitement. "By the way, Nori says that Skeezer's family just got a new TV. And he says he's gonna have a viewing part at his place," Sedna said.

Coral's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah, she told me so yesterday."

"That'll be awesome. I've never been to a viewing party at someone's house before. They're always held in the town square," she said. "This vacation is going to be perfect. I get to spend it with my friends, watch the Hunger Games, and not have to deal with that bitch. It's just a shame that it isn't permanent. I'd give anything to have this break last forever!"


	10. Chapter 10

Theme: 75. Mirror

"I know this isn't the most comfortable dress for you to wear, but it would make my job a lot easier if you could hold while I finish with this braid," Mrs. Okpik said as she hovered over a squirming Nini with a comb and two ribbons in her hand. Nini shifted in her chair, trying to adjust the wide sash that was tightly circling her waist.

"Mom, why do I have to wear this dress? I'm not even eligible for the Reaping until next year," the nine-year-old whined. She continued tugging on the yellow skirt and on the puffy sleeves that she was convinced was cutting her arms' circulation and on the wide, white circular collar that tightly wound its way around her throat like a python on it's prey. It was nothing like the dresses Nini was used to wearing: the simple cotton shifts decorated with bits of colorful embroidery done by Araceli Okpik's loving hands.

"Because your old dress is too worn out," Mrs. Okpik explained as she continued brushing out Nini's long black hair and twisting it into a pair of braids. "And don't you want to look pretty for the cameras when they do the audience shots?"

"I guess," Nini replied mournfully as she bowed head. When she was done braiding her daughter's hair, Mrs. Okpik began twisting the two braids into two loops and fastening them in place with bobby pins and matching white ribbons.

"Think of it this way, there's going to be cake at the festival later today," a voice chimed from the hallway. Nini looked up to see Sedna standing in the doorway. She was wearing clothes exclusively reserved for Reaping day: a red and white blouse tucked into a navy blue skirt that made it hard to walk in. A pair of black flats dangled from one hand while the other clutched a toothbrush. "The Victors always pay for the festival, so you know there's gonna be cake."

Nini frowned. "But how can I have cake if my dress is too tight? I can't even breathe in this!"

Sedna couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Nini as she headed to the bathroom. As she waddled down the hallway in the tight wool skirt, she passed by Arnook, who left his closet-sized room buttoning up a shirt with a tie clenched between his teeth.

"You need help tying that," Sedna asked as she watched her twelve-year-old brother trying over and over again to knot the tie around his neck.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Arnook replied. Sedna took the tie and wound it around his neck, looping the ends over each other this way and that until it was neatly knotted in a bow at his throat. "I don't even know why I have to wear a tie to this. I mean, it's not like I'm going to the Capital. There's always a volunteer whose ready to go."

"Well, this is your first Reaping, and this is going to be televised nationally. So we can't look like slobs to the rest of Panem," Sedna said. "Who do we think we are? District 12?"

"I'd rather be from 12 than be caught wearing a bow tie," Arnook grumbled. "I look like a fucking dork."

Sedna sighed. As much as she hated it when her younger siblings cursed, it was a fact of life in District 4 that was inescapable. Everyone swore here. Especially the sailors and their families.

"Well, at least do this Mom and Dad," Sedna said, sighing. "They always make sure we look our best on Reaping Day."

Arnook nodded. "If you need me, I'm gonna go find Dad. All this preparation and being surrounded by girl stuff is making me sick."

"Then ignore the living room," Sedna shouted from over her shoulder, "it's like Girl Stuff Central in there!". She walked inside the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Without another thought, Sedna took a hairbrush and began tugging it through her thick black hair. Once she was sure all the knots in her hair were out, she swiftly pulled her hair back and tied it into a high ponytail. When she was done, she took a moment to study her reflection in the mirror.

Sedna has long accepted that she was never going to be a massive beauty. Not like blonde haired and blue-eyed Monica Davenport or the redhead Ariel Finn from the Career Academy. Her face as too square and lean, lips too thin, a nose long and aquiline like her father's, and eyes that couldn't decide if they wanted to be blue or green so instead settled on somewhere in between.

And then there was the ponytail. It was nothing special. But it keeps her hair out of her face during training sessions. Even if it made her face look more stern and severe than normal. And that was all that really mattered. To her, there was really no place to be pretty. Only practical.

Sedna stepped out of the bathroom and walked back down the hallway. Nini and Arnook were outside, sitting on the front steps while Mr. Okpik was nowhere to be found and Mrs. Okpik was styling her own hair. Instead of wearing her usual white scarf wound around her head like a turban, Mrs. Okpik was instead adjusting a simple headband that kept her springy, dark brown curls away from her face.

"You look beautiful without that scarf, Mom," Sedna said softly. Mrs. Okpik turned to see her daughter standing by the door and smiled.

"Thank you, my mija," she said. Sedna blushed at the mention of mija. It was a term of endearment Mrs. Okpik said had been used in her family for generations. "Come here and I'll do something nice to your hair."

Sedna tugged on the end of her ponytail. "Is something wrong with this?"

"Well, you wear that all the time. I figure that today, it should be something special."

Sedna sat down at the kitchen table and pulled the rubber band holding her ponytail in place. Mrs. Okpik approached her and began combing out her raven hair. Sedna sat silently, looking out at the kitchen window and into the next door neighbor's house. Inside, little Annie Cresta, dressed in her best clothes, was playing with a little toy boat in a kitchen sink filled with soapy water while her mother stood beside her and washed off the breakfast dishes. She occasionally stopped to slash water on Annie's arms, who returned the favored and turned the game into a slashing contest, the pair giggling loudly as they did so.

"Mommy, if you keep making the waves, it'll knock my boat over and drown all my sailors," Annie pouted.

"They won't all drown if they know how to swim just like you," Mrs. Cresta said. Annie smiled before returning to her game.

"I guess you're right," she said softly, pausing briefly to tuck a long lock of dark hair behind her ear.

Sedna smiled momentarily before Mrs. Okpik put down her comb. "All done," she announced.

Sedna reached up and found herself stroking one fat braid. She got out of the chair, and using one of the pots hanging over the stove as a mirror, observed herself in the mirror. The same, hard-faced girl stared back at her. But this time, her face was framed by two fat, fishtail braids at the sides. She grinned in appreciation.

"This is amazing," Sedna remarked. "I look..."

"Lovely," Mrs. Okpik finished. "Now let's hurry up. We want to get good sports for the Reaping, don't we?"

Sedna followed her mother out the door. All the while making a mental note to ask her to teach her how to recreate those two braids. After all, she had to go back to the Training Academy the next morning. Why not wow her classmates with her new hairstyle?

After all, she was sure they never thought she was pretty to begin with. Why not start now?

* * *

A/N: This chapter is what I call a "breather episode". Just a break from schedule for "slice-of-life" stories that take a break from the regular story.

This chapter can be read on it's own. I just wrote it to explain where and when Sedna began wearing her trademark braids.


	11. Chapter 11

Theme: 13. Misfortune

The tributes who volunteer to represent District 4 in the 58th Hunger Games are a seventeen-year-old boy and the eighteen-year-old girl who assaulted Coral in the locker room the month before.

Eric, the boy tribute, is the son and grandson of Victors and is the older brother of Ariel Finn. Although Sedna had never spoken to him in her life, she had seen him train. He was a maverick with a sword, elegant slicing at the training dummies until they lay in chopped up pieces on the ground. With his handsome features, jet black hair and ocean blue eyes, he would be a darling to the Capital citizens who will want to sponsor a handsome tribute.

The girl tribute, Murdann, was an ogre compared to the Adonis-like Eric. At six-foot-three and bound with hulking muscles, she was even bigger than the monstrous boy tribute from 2. At the interviews, while all the other girls were beautifully made up with their hair in elegant updos, wearing gowns made of silk and satin, and glittering with jewels that would have cost more than what an average fisherman makes in a year, Murdann looked more like a drag queen than a princess. But what she lacked in beauty, charm and grace, she made up with brute force.

When the Bloodbath was broadcast live, the cameras gave Murdann more screen time than the other Careers. While Eric and the others hacked and sliced away the younger, weaker tributes who never stood a chance, Murdann was tackling the bigger bait: the male tributes who could put up a fight. She was grabbing them by their arms and legs, dashing their skulls against the metal walls of the Cornucopia until they stopped struggling. She was wrestling them to the ground, breaking arms and legs before snapping their necks. When she was done, she left the bodies lying there, bloodied and broken like discarded toys.

Sedna averted her eyes when Murdann tackled one particular target. A sandy-haired boy from 7 who could easily pass for Coral's brother. It was just too soon. When she thought it was safe to open her eyes again, she was met with a close up of the boy's battered face, blood streaming down his face from a caved-in nose, his vacant brown eyes staring up at the screen.

That was when she lost her lunch, upchucking into a garbage pail while Coral looked on in concern.

"You okay," she asked. All Sedna could do was nod in reply. But whenever the camera cut to Murdann pulverizing any tribute unlucky enough to cross her path, Sedna made sure her eyes were averted, only daring to look up when the camera cut to another tribute and away from Murdann and the string of broken bodies left lying in her wake.

Murdann's reign of terror ended twelve days into the Games. By then, there were only six tributes left: her, Eric, the girls from 1 and 5, and the boys from 6 and 10. On the hunt for those two remaining boys, Murdann left the Career encampment and headed into the woods, where she encountered the Mutt.

This Mutt was roughly the shape of a wolf, but... bigger. It loomed threateningly over her as she had done with Coral all those weeks ago. Instead of fur and muscle, body was constructed out of thick branches, tufts of moss, and twigs. It's eyes were two glowing coals fixed into it's wooden skull, it's mouth open in a snarl, revealing a row of sharp, ivory-white branches as slender as knitting needles.

"There's her first mistake, she didn't bring a weapon," Coral pointed out coldly. She and Sedna sat in front of the television in the Okpik's living room. Their journals were open on the coffee table with various notes scribbled inside. "She would do with an axe."

Sedna nodded, watching as Murdann launched herself against one of the trunk-like legs of the tinder-Mutt, punching away at the branches and tearing them away until the Mutt collapsed in on itself. Murdann dodged the falling pile of tinder and let out a coarse guffaw as it broke up into a mountain of branches. But then those branches began to reassemble itself, as if there was some invisible hand picking the parts out and putting it back together until the Mutt was whole once more.

Murdann opened her mouth, but her words were bleeped out by the censors. The Mutt let out an earth-shattering roar, swinging it's paw in her direction. Murdann dodged the paw, flattening herself on the ground. But what she couldn't anticipate was the sudden tug on the back of her shirt. Screaming and kicking at the wooden jaws carried her aloft before tossing her into the air. It's jaws opened wide, welcoming the screaming giant that plummeted inside before it began tearing her apart.

Within a minute, a burst of cannon fire rang out.

"Well that sucks," Arnook remarked from the hallway door.

"Looks like it's up to Eric to do us proud," Sedna said. "Not that I mind. I'd hate for that brute Murdann to win. Right, Corrie?"

Coral didn't say a word. She simply smiled as a recap of Murdann's grisly death flashed on the screen before cutting to Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman commentating on what had just happened.

"At least I don't have to deal with her again," Coral sighed, scribbling down more notes in her journal, "normally, I don't root for the deaths of our guys, but I think it was divine retribution that she got a walloping from something that is both bigger and stronger than her."

"Mom has a saying that goes something like that," Sedna said. "It's something like, 'don't do to others what you'd want for yourself.'"

"Your mom's a smart lady," Coral said.

"Not really," Arnook called out, "she just grew up with a strict grandma who drilled that stuff into her head. And Mom only parrots what she said because she's convinced it's true."

"Well then, what we just saw confirms that mother indeed knows best," Coral replied. "Shame no one told Murdann. It would have saved her."

* * *

A/N: Although he is mentioned a lot in "Lost in the Darkness" by Sparrow Cries, the District 4 male tribute who lost to Ann Fukuro is never given a name. So I settled on Eric since his sister, who is a main character in "LitD", is named Ariel. So Eric Finn most certainly would belong to Dramatic Gleek, who I am sure submitted Ariel but I could never find out for sure.

The wooden Mutt that kills Murdann is actually based on the "timberwolves" from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. They are just a really cool creature species that I had to include them in some way. After all, it's a giant wolf, made out of branches and could kill a guy. How awesome is that? So rights to the timberwolves belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro.

The other characters are my creations.


	12. Chapter 12

Theme: 19. Gray

The 58th Hunger Games ends with the District 1 girl decapitating the boy from 6 during the final showdown. But no one in District 4 cheers for her.

Instead, they all gather around television screens in the privacy of their homes or congregate in the town square and boo loudly, curse the girl and all of District 1, and shout other expletives at the screens as Claudius Templesmith announces, "And the Victor of the 58th Hunger Games is... Ann Fukuro of District 1".

It was because of that girl that District 4 wouldn't be getting a Victor this year.

The week following the end of the Hunger Games is marked by gray. Gray faces of denizens of District 4 who had been cheering for Eric and Murdann since the day they volunteered. Iron gray clouds clustered together in the sky above so thickly it blocked out all visible sunlight and cast the land in shadow while a light gray haze of fog shrouded the bay, making it impossible for everyone to see beyond ten feet. As if the weather too had fallen into mourning.

The fog was so heavy that two days after Ann's victory was announced, one of the fishing vessels, the Mollie Jessop, was accidentally ran aground into the sharp rocks that peppered the coastline. All the hands on deck drowned and Mayor Pescado declared a national week of mourning for the fifty lost sailors in addition to Eric Finn and Murdann Bishop.

The rest of the week was marked with public memorials and funeral services held for both tributes and sailors. No one in District 4 could walk five feet without encountering a Peacekeeper paying a visit to a household to announce that the body of their husband or father or son has just been recovered and needs to be properly identified a grieving family member or friend coming to or returning from paying their last respects at the home of the deceased.

It was two days after the Mollie Jessop sank that the Andrew's house received the dreaded visit from the Peacekeeper that heralded the dreaded news. The body of Nemo Andrews, a trawler on the Mollie Jessop, was found washed up on the shore.

Coral Andrew ran off sobbing into the street when the Peacekeeper announced the news while her grandparents stood in the doorway, holding onto each other and crying for their only son.

She had disappeared for several hours before turning up on the cliffs that overlooked the sea. She wasn't making any motion to jump into the churning, blue-gray waters below. She just sat on the edge, legs crossed together, tears running down her flushed red face while her thick fingers lovingly stroked a small coral pendant.

When Sedna came to pay her condolences to the father of her best friend, Coral screamed for her to shut her mouth. "Shut up. Just shut up. I know what you're gonna say. They've all been saying it. And guess what? All the 'I'm so sorry's in the world ain't gonna bring my dad back."

Then Coral would scrunch up her broad, red face and cry into her rough, chapped hands. And all Sedna could do was just sit on the cliff beside her, unsure of what else to do for a friend in mourning. Except, maybe, just remain by her side. Like the loyal sidekick she has been for seven years.

Shops and schools were closed during that week of mourning and on a dark and gloomy Saturday that threatened rain, everyone in District 4 turned up for the combined memorial services for Eric, Murdann, and the sailors of the Mollie Jessop. As per tradition, all the bodies were cremated and the ashes returned to the right families. It was a custom in District 4, when someone dies, to cremate the body and scatter the ashes at sea, signifying that they are returning to the sea from whence their ancestors came, hundreds of years ago on boats as the flood waters drowned out their old towns.

It was after this massive public memorial that Sedna and her family, as well as a few friends of Nemo Andrews, boarded a keel boat with the three surviving members of the Andrews' family. Coral spent the entire voyage to scatter her father's ashes in a state of silence, just looking out into the horizon and never acknowledging the mourners who tried to speak with her. Sedna, as always, stood by her side.

"Just so you know, you aren't alone," Sedna reminded her, but Coral didn't say a word. "You still have friends here, allies. And your grandparents. Just remember that."

When the boat stopped in waters so far away, District 4 only looked like a blur in the horizon, Mr. Andrews dropped anchor and took his son's remains to the bow, where the mourners gathered.

Big, brawny, white haired Mr. Andrews stood at the bow with a small urn containing what remained of Nemo, his head bowed as Mrs. Andrews said, in a quivering voice, "we have gathered here today to commit the ashes of Nemo Bartholomew Andrews back to the sea, our forever home and from where our ancestors came. But before we commit his remains to an eternal home, let us remember the good times we had with him."

One by one, the twelve mourners each recounted a favourite memory or a funny story or just a simple statement about what they liked about Nemo. When it was Coral's turn, she came to the front of the bow and tried to speak. But instead, she gasped out the words, choking on syllables before she couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears, running to the stern, pushing aside mourners as she ran. Sedna followed, finding her best friend crumpled in a heap in the cockpit.

"I can't do this," Coral gasped. "I... just... can't."

"Corrie," Sedna said softly, lightly touching Coral's shoulder. "Please. This is the last chance to say goodbye to your dad. If you miss this, then you'll never really get closure. You'll regret it for the rest of your life. Believe me. When my granddad died, I was five and I couldn't bear seeing my dad scatter his ashes in the sea. And I've always regretted it 'cause I had that chance to say my goodbyes for the last time. And I was too chicken to do it."

Coral continued crying.

"If I hold your hand, will you go back," Sedna asked. Coral ceased her sobs before letting out a weak, "I guess so."

Sedna held out her hand and Coral took it. Together, the two girls returned to the bow, where one of Nemo's high school friends was entertaining the others with details of the 'Shark Incident' that Nemo had masterminded to get out of taking a test he didn't study for.

Once all that was said and done, someone passed a small basket filled with tropical flowers around and everyone took a small handful before handing it to the next person. As Mr. Okpik played a tune on the ocarina he kept in his trouser pocket and Melvina Jones, an old friend of Nemo's, sang "Fiddler's Green", a song he loved, Mr. Andrews carefully set the urn on the calmly rippling waters. Over time, the urn will disintegrate before dispersing the ashes in the waters far from Panem. Those who took flowers from the basket began scattering the bright yellow, orange, and red blossoms in the water until they formed a sunset-coloured ring around the urn.

The ceremony was closed with a simple prayer. "From the water you came and to the water you shall return. May you find a happier life than the one led before. Amen".

And then Mr. Andrews took to the wheel and began steering the keel boat back to shore, joining other boats who had gone out to sea to bury their own.

On the following Monday, life in District 4 resumed once more.

* * *

A/N: I am actually proud of how this chapter turned out. I hope I gave District 4 a distinct personality when it comes to funeral traditions and when they see those rich jerks from District 1 (no offense to those who like 1, but I'm Team District 4 all the way) claim another Hunger Games Victory.


	13. Chapter 13

Theme: 70. 67%

As far as Sedna was concerned, it was a mistake to allow Coral Andrews back in the Academy so soon after her father's death.

On the Monday following Nemo Andrew's funeral, Sedna watched as Coral practiced knife throwing. One by one the knives embedded themselves in the dummy, but when she was done, only one of the knives hit the heart. The others were scattered all over the rest of the body and would only inflict minor wounds in a real-life scenario. Sighing softly, Coral returned to the back of the line and watched with a forlorn expression as Monica Davenport took the knives and began flinging them into the dummy.

Unlike Coral's one knife, Monica managed to get three kill spots out of five.

"Doing better," the station attendant remarks as Monica flashes his a dazzling smile, flipping her blonde hair over one shoulder as she went back to the line.

"Why bother trying again." Monica hissed into Coral's ear, "you're never going to get any better . You might as well quit now. Cause if you keep going on like this, you'll be the first to die."

Monica says the same thing to Ariel Finn, who is still barely holding on after seeing Eric die on television. When it was her turn, she completely missed the target. But when Monica says it, even going far as to imply that Ariel will end up as dead as her dear brother, Ariel just lets out an exasperated scream and punches Monica in the gut, knocking the girl to the ground while one of the attendants blows her whistle for them to stop while Ariel is viciously kicking Monica, calling her out, and being dragged away by two attendants while one sits by Monica's head and asks her if she is alright.

When Sedna catches a glimpse of Monica's face, she feels the urge to throw up. It's battered and bruised like a battered tomato. One black bruise forming over one eye, swelling it shut while the lips were puffy and bloody and her cheeks blossoming with a purple-hued blush.

Eventually, Monica is taken to the infirmary and isn't seen again for the rest of the day.

But that doesn't help Coral's morale.

Coral keeps practicing with the throwing knives she so loved, but each time she was up at the target, she did as poorly as before. One knife in a kill spot. Two knives in. At best, three, all embedded in the eye sockets and the center of the forehead. But that is it.

"I'm really sorry," Coral choked out as the school bell rings, signaling the end of the training period. The attendant manning the knife-throwing station gives her a sad smile. "I know this isn't my best. I'll work harder next period, promise."

"You don't have to promise me anything," the attendant reminds her, "I know what happened. And believe me when I say that I'm sorry. Just you try to pull yourself together."

"I can't," Coral whispers. "I just can't. I'm trying my best at training, but you think that I'm giving it 67% instead of the 100% that you want."

"That's not true. I think you are giving it your best shot," the attendant reminds her, "I've seen you throw knives before and you are the best student I've had yet. And I've been in this job for years. You're just having a rough time. And it happens to the best of us... Come here."

The attendant draws Coral into a tight embrace. Coral wraps her arms around the attendants torso, burying her face in the blue green shirt of his uniform.

"You're just having a bad day," he reminds her. "But you'll recover and you'll go back to your perfect tosses. Everything will be just fine in the end."

"Thanks," Coral said, pulling back from the attendant. Her eyes are puffy and red and there are some tears running down her cheeks. He takes his thumb and wipes away a tear with the pad.

"If you need anything, I'll be here," he says.

Coral smiles and hugs him once more before leaving the gym. Sedna waits for her by the door.

"I still think it's only 67%," Coral says glumly, "and don't you try to lie and say otherwise, Sedna. We know it's true. Everyone knows its true. They're all just lying to me to make me feel better. All because I'm the girl with the dead dad."

Except they're not, Sedna thought, they wouldn't like for the heck of it. They're just trying to help you out.

* * *

A/N: Things can only continue to get worse from here. Because often times, the hero has to go through hell before earning their happy ending. Or at least some semblance of one.


	14. Chapter 14

Theme: 86. Seeing Red

It was a mistake to let Coral use the bathroom alone.

Yet Sedna thought nothing of it when Coral, during lunch one afternoon in autumn, announced to her, "I need to use the can. Can you watch my stuff?"

"Sure, Corrie," Sedna responded, never looking up from the book, well, more like manuscript, she was reading. It was a pirate novel that Erica from down the street was writing, and she was looking for someone else to read it and get some feedback from. And while Sedna wasn't much of a reader, she found herself engrossed by the saga of the Dread Pirate Drusilla who sailed the oceans surrounding Panem and went on wild adventures while trying to evade Capital forces.

After ten minutes of reading, Sedna realized that Coral hadn't come back from the restroom. When she also noticed that the neighboring table who seated Monica and her goons was also empty, a sudden rush of dread washed over her.

It didn't even take her a minute to realize that something was wrong. As soon as her eyes drifted to that other table, Sedna was quickly grabbing her things and running out of the canteen and down the hall to the closest restroom. With a loud bang of a door being swung open, Sedna found herself standing in the door way, unsure of how to respond to the scene in front of her.

Coral was supporting herself on the edge of one of the sinks and crying. The sink was running with steam rising out of the basin and it took Sedna a split second to realize what set this moment apart from the other times she had walked in on Coral crying in the bathroom.

Coral's sandy-blonde hair was coated in a gooey white substance. As Sedna walked closer, the unmistakable pungency of school glue hit her nose.

"Who did this to you," Sedna demanded. She grabbed Coral by the upper arms and forced her to look into her face. "Corrie, ah, don't give me that look. This is serious."

Coral shook her head.  
"If you can't say it, do you think you can write it down?"

Sedna dug into her bag and retrieved a pen and the manuscript. Sure, Erica was going to kill her for writing on her story, but this was an emergency. Coral shook her head again.

"Corrie, this is basically another assault. Do you really whoever attacked you to go... look at me! Do you really want them to go off free?"

After a minute's pause, Coral took the manuscript and the pen, wrote something on it, and returned them both. Sedna looked down on the page, and there in the margin scribbled: Monica and her gang.

Almost instantly Sedna felt her blood begin to boil, the heat rising up in her face and engulfing her in pure rage.

"Sedna, you're not going after her, are you," Coral mouthed out. Sedna responded by grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the bathroom and down the headmaster's office.

"Where are we going," she asked, "you're not going to tell, are you?"

Sedna ignored her, and when the two were in the main office, she looked at the receptionist and said, "I need to file an incident report."

"And what would that be f-" the receptionist's words ended abruptly when she saw that Coral's hair was coated in glue. "Oh my. Miss Andrews, the Nurse's Office is just across the hallway. I think she can help you wash the hair out. Ms. Okpik, if you may, please fill this out."

The receptionist pushed a clipboard with a slip of pink paper and a pen on it while leaving her desk to escort Coral to the Nurse's Office. Sedna sat down in one of the chairs and began filling the incident report to the best of her ability. Finally, she ended it on the note: Coral will be too scared to say that Monica did this to her. I think she threatened to hurt her if word got out to the school that she did this to my friend. But whatever happened, I want to see Monica or one of her gang who did it to face a right punishment.

The receptionist returned and Sedna handed the clipboard back to her. "Thank you," she said, looking it over before putting the pink slip in a paper basket. "I will give this to the headmaster when he comes back from his meeting and we will figure out a solution."

"And when should that be," Sedna asked.

"In a week or so. He is a very busy man you know."

Not enough, she thought, leaving the office, it should be now. How about bringing Monica and her gang up now and make them confess to what they have done now.

Sedna walked into the Nurse's Office, where she was greeted by a forlorn Coral sitting on a chair with a towel wrapped around her shoulders, her long hair damp and hanging down her back like a ragged blonde sheet.

"Hey, they got all the glue out, that's a good thing," Sedna said smiling, taking a seat next to Coral. She didn't respond and instead stared out at the wall in front of her, just like those other times she slipped into one of those moods. "No offense, Corrie, but I don't think you would look good with short hair."

But instead Coral just stared out into space, humming softly as she did.

After a week, Sedna began inquiring in the front office if they had done anything to discipline Monica but was always met with the same response. "No, we haven't." And the more she asked, the more she didn't get an answer, and the more anger she felt over what she felt was a miscarriage of justice.

Meanwhile, Monica was living life as if she hadn't smeared glue into another girl's hair. Whenever she walked by the girl's from the Breck, she would always turn to one of her lackeys and say something like, "Gosh, what stinks like the inside of a glue factory? Oh, it's just Coral." before walking off and laughing as if she had just quoted one of Caesar Flickerman's jokes.

By the end of the month, Sedna was getting nowhere in getting justice for Coral. And it became painfully obvious to her that the Career Academy wasn't going to do a thing to stop Monica from doing a similar act again.

The next time she was Monica again, Sedna felt a sudden urge to fight and throw Monica to the ground, punching her face over and over again until it resembled ground beef smeared with tomato paste. Just like what she did to Marlin del Rey all those years ago.

Except now Sedna wasn't an eight-year-old girl who lost her temper with the drop of a hat. She was a trainee in a Career Academy and she had grown up enough to know that beating up another girl wouldn't be the best method of revenge. Especially if there were other ways to get back at her.

The following morning, Sedna made sure to arrive at the Academy in an early hour armed with a tube of superglue nicked from her father's tool box.

That afternoon, Sedna Okpik joined in the chorus of girls laughing at Monica Davenport as the Queen Bee of the Career Academy struggled to open up the padlock of her locker door.


	15. Chapter 15

Theme: 95. Advertisement

In the weeks leading up to the Victory Tour, posters sprung up all over District 4. Either they were plastered to the walls of local businesses or posted on bulletin boards in schools, government buildings, and public place or stapled to lamp posts or electrical poles. But they were everywhere.

The posters themselves were simple in that stark, coldly gray, minimalist style signature to the Capital and depicted a teenage girl garbed in an elaborately frilled and fluted black gown with a silver grown of laurels resting in her raven hair. In a gray caption box and spelled out with bold, white text were: Victory Tour with Ann Fukuro. Winner of the 59th Hunger Games.

The reaction to these posters were almost expected in a District that already loathed the Victor who murdered the son of two beloved local celebrities.

Everyone in District 4 took to ripping the posters down and trampling them with their feet or painting in bold red words vulgar swearwords and slurs that denounced Ann, her District, and the Capital.

At first, Sedna felt a wave of disgust as she witnessed the furious citizens taking their anger out on the sheets of paper. After all, bullying is bullying no matter who is on the receiving end. And what they were doing was trashing a young woman who never personally wronged them.

But then there would be a little voice in Sedna's head reminding her that Ann Fukuro was no regular young woman. She killed Eric Finn for all of Panem to see. She single-highhandedly wiped out all of District 4's hopes for a Victor that year with one flick of her wrist. And for that she had to be punished. And soon, Sedna and Coral and Nori and Arnook and Nini and the other kids in the Breck were joining in on the mass vandalism that had swept the District.

By the end of the week, the vandalism was so bad, Peacekeepers had to be on constant call and make sure that no one defaced the freshly printed posters that were constantly going up each day. But it didn't stop the furious townspeople. When the Peacekeepers weren't in sight, they were continuing to shred the posters and write their vulgar words. Children who didn't understand the curse words their parents and older siblings wrote contributed by scribbling uni brows, mustaches, beards, pimples, and writing phrases such as "my feet stink" or "I have bad breath" all over Ann's image with big black markers that the dry good store sold for a penny each.

The intense wave of hatred for the Victor from 1 didn't simmer down when the Victory tour commenced and she arrived in District 4. As Ann stood at the pulpit and did her best to give her speech, the families of Eric Finn and Murdann Bishop glared daggers at her while her speech was frequently interrupted by men in the crowd calling her names and accusations of killing Eric. The only thing stopping them from hurtling rotten vegetables and fish heads at her were the Peacekeepers who bordered the town square, giving menacing glares and keeping their weapons out so that no one would even want to try. Unless they had a death wish.

By the end of her speech, Ann was close to tears as the verbal abuse against her mounted. Sedna couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy as Ann departed the stage with tears in her eyes.

But then Sedna tossed aside those sympathetic feels when she was reminded that this was the girl who killed Eric. A no good rich girl from the Luxury District who ended the life of District 4's hometown hero. There was just no way she was going to feel sorry for anyone like that.

Ann brought it on herself, she thought, if she didn't want this, then she shouldn't have killed Eric.

* * *

(A/N: To the creator of Ann Fukuro, I am so sorry I had to write this. However, you need to understand that that I am writing about a District that would have characteristically hated her and hated any Victor who didn't come from 4. So I am just envisioning how this scenario would have played out).


	16. Chapter 16

Theme: 76. Broken Pieces

As the months dragged on, Coral appeared as if she was breaking apart piece-by-piece with each passing day. She had taken to looking fearfully over her shoulder at frequent intervals and sprinting quickly down the hallways in between classes to avoid anyone. Whenever she was going anywhere, she insisted that Sedna stay by her side at all times, like a bodyguard. Once, when Sedna realized she forgot a book in one of the classrooms, she returned to the locker room to find Coral curled up in one of the empty lockers, trying to maintain as low a profile as possible.

"I had to," she whimpered when Sedna asked why she was hiding. "They'll return if they find me alone. Sedna, please stay with me. They leave me alone when you're with me. They can't hurt me when I'm not alone."

And like the loyal friend she always has been, Sedna agreed. She stood by Coral's side at all hours of the day, from when they met up in the morning to when they left the Academy at eight at night.

There were the good days, where Coral would be happy and lively. When she would be striking bulls-eyes during training and completing obstacle courses in under five minutes flat. When she spent lunch talking about weekend plans or exchanging Academy gossip.

And then there were the bad days. The days when Coral would be catatonic, staring off into space, lost in the safe refuge of the world she created and which was exclusive to only her. Sedna hated these days. She'd spend all of her time trying to coax Coral out of the mental shell she built around herself but never succeeding. When Coral was out, she was out.

On the bad days, Sedna always found herself hating a lot of things. She hated how Coral would "check out" with no real intention of coming back. She hated the girls who kept striking at her until she was so damaged, she could break up and be rendered unfixable. And she hated herself for her inability to give Coral the help she needed. If only she could find a way to get into Coral's head and get an idea of what she could do instead of being forced to witness her best friend cracking up into a thousand pieces that, when broken, wouldn't be put together again.

One night, while walking home from the Academy, Coral suddenly collapsed into a fit of tears from which she could not snap out of. Sedna spent up to an hour trying to calm her down, reassuring her that Monica was nowhere to be see, and that she had nothing to fear because her best friend was here and she was going to scare away all that wanted to her her. And still, Coral remained in her fit, the sobs wracking her ever-shrinking frame. As Sedna reached out and rubbed her back, she could feel the bumpy ridges of her ribcage against the thin cotton shirt.

When Coral couldn't be urged to walk another step, Sedna took to slinging her friend's body onto her back and carrying her to the Andrew's residence piggy-back style. Coral continued crying and soon the entire right shoulder of Sedna's shirt was soaked. As she walked, she tightened her hold on her friend, taking great care to ensure that Coral didn't fall to the ground in another broken heap because if she caused any further cracks, Coral might just shatter into a thousand broken pieces with no chance of ever being fixed again.


	17. Chapter 17

Theme: 93. Give Up

Just as Sedna crossed the threshold of the Andrew's cottage, a tiny voice spoke up behind her.

"I give up."

"Say what," Sedna asked as she navigated through the narrow hallways with another girl on her back. She stopped at one of the doors, nudging it open with her foot before going inside and setting Coral down on the bed. Upon being sat down, Coral laid out on the bed and curled up on one side, a pair of big brown eyes staring back at Sedna.

"I give up," Coral whispered again, "I don't want to go back to school tomorrow. I want to quit."

"Don't say stuff like that," Sedna exclaimed, "if you quit now, Monica's just going to harass you more. She'll say that you're weak because you quit and that Breck kids shouldn't train as Careers. Do you really want to give her the satisfaction of you leaving?"

Coral stared off for a few minutes before shaking her head in response.

"I thought so," Sedna said, sitting down on the bed. "I know it really sucks for you, Corrie. But you need to stay strong for me. I don't want to see you slipping back into that catatonic state of yours. It freaks me out. It makes me think you aren't going to snap out of it again."

"I'm sorry," Coral whispered. Sedna sighed and wiped away one of Coral's tears with her thumb. "It's not your fault. Mostly. It just scares me when you go into that state. I just hate it when you're like that."

There was a long pause and then Sedna spoke up again. "Think of this, though. You're a really good fighter. And one day, you'll win the Hunger Games and you'll be living in the Victor's Village while Monica gets kicked out the moment her dad dies and be forced to live in a hovel because she blew his money on jewelry and make up and all sorts of expensive garbage. So if you need a happy thought, think of that."

Sedna reached down and opened the ditty bag at her feet. Rummaging through the contents, she pulled out a banana. One of two smuggled out of the canteen.

Arnook and Nini are going to have to split the other tonight, Sedna though as she shook Coral's shoulder. "Hey Corrie, I got a treat."

"I'm not hungry," Coral replied.

"Just eat it anyway, it'll make you happy," Sedna insisted, "please? Bananas are good for you."

Coral sat up on the bed and watched with hooded eyes as Sedna carefully peeled the banana and handed it to her. Coral took the banana, bit into it, and handed it back to Sedna.

"You keep it," she said. "I'm still stuffed from dinner."

"I don't want the rest if you don't eat it," Coral said.

"Ok. We'll take turns," Sedna took the banana and took a small bite, trying her best not to make a face as she did. In actuality, she despised bananas. She hated the weirdly sweet taste, the mushy texture, and the stringy, whitish bits that clung to the inner part of the fruit. The only reason why she took two out of the canteen was to give them to Arnook and Nini as a treat. Where else in District 4 would she get bananas for free?

Sedna gave the banana back and Coral bit into it again before handing it to her. This went on until the banana was gone. By then, the front door opened and Mrs. Andrews called out, "Corrie! I'm home."

"Your grandma's back, I should be leaving," Sedna said."

"I guess," Coral sadly sighed. She laid back onto the bed in the curled up position from before.

Sedna took hold of her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "You're just having one of your 'off' days. But I'll be back tomorrow and the day will get better from there. You just need to remember that."

"I'll try," Coral said.

"No, not try, do," Sedna said. "You're stronger than this. I know it. And you need to do too."

"Ok. I'll do it then. For you."

Sedna smiled and Coral returned the expression. "'Night, Corrie. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

The following morning, as Sedna had hoped, Coral showed up at the front door of her house with a smile on her face that continued for the rest of the week.

But by the following Monday, the bad days had returned.

* * *

This chapter takes place immediately after Chapter 16. The format of this story follows a linear plot line from the time Sedna is a little girl to when she is eighteen.

I also want to say thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and/or reviewed. The support you guys have gave is just wonderful and I am thankful that you guys are doing this. I really appreciate it. :)

On a happy note, I found this fandom identification card quiz and thought it would be funny to answer how Sedna would answer. Here are the results and for the most part, they are really appropriate.

Later- So, apparently I can't post links on . But you can easily find the quiz online. Just Google Universal Fandom Quiz. It's hosted by .

Some of the results from Sednas quiz that I recall placed her in the following:

Harry Potter- Gryffindor

Hunger Games- District 4 (pretty obvious there)

Twilight- Werewolf (this one cracked me up since I intended for Sedna to be of Native American origin)

Game of Thrones: House Lannister

Star Wars: Jedi

Percy Jackson: Demi-God

Divergent: Dauntless

Star Trek: Klingon

I am going to try this quiz again with other characters to see what they would be placed in and post the results in the author's note.


	18. Chapter 18

Theme: 15. Silence

The day begins like every other school day with the alarm clock sounding off at 4:30 A.M. As if on cue, Sedna reaches out and snuffs out the alarm before it can wake up her sister, Nini, who is still asleep in the bunk above her. What follows next operates like clockwork: get dressed in exercise clothes, grab ditty bag, and head out the door in ten minutes flat.

As always, it's dark outside. The sun won't rise for at least another hour and a half. Undeterred by the darkness, Sedna walks down unpaved main road that connects the Breck to the rest of District 4. A foghorn sounds off in the distance while Sedna stops when she hears two high-pitch yowls coming from a hibiscus bush. Sedna stopped and shook the bush.

"Alright, quit it with the weird kitty noises," she said, "you'll wake up the rest of the neighborhood."

Two cats immediately dart out of the bush. One is an orange tabby Sedna instantly recognized as Jonesy while the other is a black cat she had never seen before crossed her path and disappeared into a hole in a neighbor's gate.

"And thanks for giving me the bad luck," she said sarcastically before going on her way, anticipating yet another day of dealing with Monica's snobbery and Coral's increasingly fragile mental state. "As if I needed more of that."

She walked up to the Andrew's residence and began pounding on Coral's bedroom window.

"Rise and shine, it's another training day," Sedna called out in a soft voice. "Corrie?"

There was no response.

Something was wrong. Sedna's wake up call always woke up Coral. There was never a time where it didn't work. Sedna knocked on the window again and received no response.

"Corrie? Are you feeling ok," Sedna asked. She peered into the window, but her view was obstructed by the lacy white curtains. She could make out vague, dark outlines of furniture, but nothing else? She knocked again and still no response.

"Coral, I know you don't want to do this, but I'm going inside," Sedna said. She walked up to one of the rocks that decorated the front yard and retrieved the spare house key underneath. Then, as quietly as possible, Sedna unlocked the door and stepped inside. The entire house was completely dark, but it didn't stop her from walking up to Coral's bedroom door, listening for any signs of activity: foot steps, a dresser drawer being opened or closes, even snoring would be welcome. But instead, she was only met with silence.

Unsure what to expect next, Sedna opened the door and looked inside.

The bedroom was completely empty. There was no sign of Coral anywhere. The bed was neatly made up in one corner and nothing looked out of place.

Ok, now's not the time to panic, Sedna thought. Maybe she's in the bathroom. She walked to the only bathroom the cottage had but noticed the door was ajar with no one inside.

Maybe she left early, Sedna thought before dismissing the idea. No. They always walked to the Academy together. It's been that way for almost eight years. It was just a simple fact of life that never changed.

Sedna stood in the hallway for several minutes, unsure of what to do next. Alert the Andrews and tell them that she can't find Coral? Or just go to the Career Academy and pray that she's already there.

Deciding in the end that waking up Coral's grandparents would be rude, and that maybe Coral decided on a change of pace by going to the Academy early.

Sedna ran out the door, locking it behind her, before going down the main road, hoping to caught a sight her old friend as she headed to the Academy. But by the time she reached the Academy half an hour later, breathing heavily and her eyes sore from straining them in the darkness in search for a girl who wore her blonde hair in a top-knot, she had not seen any trace of Coral. Undeterred, she ran into the main building and checked every possible space, but again couldn't find her.

It was as if, in a span of eight hours, Coral Andrews has vanished from District 4.

Sedna collapsed against a wall and slid down to the floor, where she remained, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers and wracking her brains for the next possible step.

Something wet trickled out of her eye and she brushed it away with one hand. Now wasn't the time to start crying and panicking. Now was the time to keep a level head while deciding whether to go back to Coral's house and search for her there or to flag down a Peackeeper and get help.

In the end, Sedna got up and bolted back to the Breck. There, she searched Coral's home and back yard and looked around the neighboring houses. She searched the sheds and looked inside the boats parked in front of some of the houses. Again, no sign of Coral.

By the time she returned to the Andrew's residence, sore and exhausted from spending most of the very early morning hours searching for her, the sun had begun to rise. Fishermen were now coming out of their homes, ready for another day of work.

"Coral? What are you still doing here at this hour," a feminine voice called out.

Sedna turned in the direction of the voice and found Mrs. Andrews, a look of concern etched on her wrinkled face, standing on the front porch.

"Mrs. Andrews. You need to call a Peacekeeper. Coral's missing."

* * *

A/N: This chapter takes place weeks after the events in Chapter 17. I didn't really do much foreshadowing for what Coral would do because I wanted her departure to be as much of a shock to the reader as it was for Sedna.


	19. Chapter 19

Theme: 16. Questioning

"I am going to repeat the question again. Do you know where Miss Andrew could be?"

The white-armored Peacekeeper sits at one end of the polished aluminum table in a stark white interrogation room located deep within the Peacekeeper Headquarters while Sedna sits at the other end, hands gripping her hair, looking back at him.

"I told you," she says, "I don't know where she could be. If I knew, you wouldn't be asking and none of this would be happening. Coral and I would be at the Academy, like always."

The Peacekeeper, a middle-aged man with deep lines creased into the corners of his mouth and eyes, lets out a frustrated sigh. "Then let's start at the beginning. Maybe then it'll jog your memory. Was Miss Andrews behaving out of the ordinary in the last few days?"

Sedna shook her head. "No, not really. She's been really depressed for a very long time. If she was acting happy or something, I would have noticed."

"How long has she been in that depression?"

"Several months, I think. She was being bullied at school and was having a hard time dealing with it. But it was when her father died in the Mollie Jessop disaster that she tipped over the edge. And there were some other things."

"Such as?"

Sedna recounted how Monica Davenport and her clique had been harassing Coral, such as spreading rumors, sending harassing phone calls to her house, and vandalizing her locker. When she was done, the Peacekeeper looked at her and asked, "and how long as Miss Davenport been harassing Miss Andrews."

"Coral said that it was going on for six months, so about a year now," Sedna recalls. "Are you going to stop Monica? Because we've told the Academy what has been going on but they haven't done anything to stop it."

"And for good reason," the Peacekeeper said, "Miss Davenport is the daughter of a Victor. And we cannot prosecute individuals such as her."

"Say what?"

"We cannot punish Miss Davenport because her father is a national hero."

"So just because she's a Victor's kid means that she gets immunity," Sedna spat out. Her blood was beginning to boil, and though Sedna never considered herself to be an angry person, she felt the sudden urge to lash out and hurt someone. Just kick someone or something and scream at the same time. This was just all kinds of unfair.

"I'm afraid so," the Peacekeeper explained in that drab monotone, as if he didn't care either way, "you might not understand, being from the Breck, but if we were to arrest a Victor or a member of their family, it will cause a lot of controversy. We are basically arresting a national hero, a figure that everyone looks up to. That would make us look bad."

As if the Peacekeepers didn't have a bad enough reputation in District 4. Although there were a few nice Peacekeepers, most were horrible. They were all just an unwanted presence in a District that harbored a secret hatred for the Capital.

"So they can get away with anything," Sedna asked, "while you have to punish the rest of us because we aren't rich and famous."

"I am afraid so, Miss Okpik," the Peacekeeper said in that soft monotone.

"That's not fair," she said.

"Nothing in this life is fair, but be thankful that you were born into this one and not into a starving family of coal miners from District 12," he explained. "Now, for my next question. Could Miss Andrews have ended her life?"

"What? No! At least, I don't think so. I mean, yes, Corrie has mental issues. But I can not see her as someone who would take her own life. And I personally didn't know."

Was there even any signs noting that someone was about to take their life? Sedna didn't know for the life of her. It wasn't as if she could instantly recognize the signs of a suicidal individual.

"Is there any family she may have that she could have run off to? Or to a friend's house?"

"I don't know. Her grandparents are the only family she has left. We don't even know if her mother is still alive. No one has seen her in years. And I was the only girl Coral ever really was friends with."

"Did Miss Andrews ever mention wanting to run away?"

"A couple of times," Sedna admitted, "or at least, she said she wished she could just go away. I just didn't realize she was being serious about it."

The interrogation room door and another, much younger, Peacekeeper popped his head inside.

"Longinus, we found some evidence implying that the girl ran away," the Peacekeeper said, waving a note in front of the Peacekeeper called 'Longinus'.

"Then take it to the evidence room," Longinus said, "surely they would have taught you that at the Academy in District 2. Or are your brains still stuffed with cow shit like everyone else in that hick District you came from?"

"I would," the younger Peacekeeper said, his voice shaking as he spoke. Sedna couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the younger man. With his chubby red cheeks, thick mop of strawberry blonde hair, and innocent blue eyes, he looked more like a young boy than a Peacekeeper. "But it's addressed to the girl you're interrogating, sir. And it says on the envelope that it has to be read pronto."

Longinus let out a groan. "Then make a copy of the note, give the authentic version to Recepta in evidence, and give the copied version to me. You got that, Heifer?"

"Yes sir," Heifer said, raising his arm in salute, before leaving.

Longinus turned back to Sedna, "I apologize for the interruption. Heifer is new and isn't even from District 2 like the rest of us. He's from 10 and the only reason why he's even a Peacekeeper is because he has a sponsorship from the Head Peacekeeper there and the permission to train."

"They found a note," Sedna asked.

"You heard him right."

"Then maybe it'll offer a clue as to what happened to Coral," she suggested.

"Maybe. But we won't know until Heifer comes back, don't we?"


	20. Chapter 20

Theme: 73. I Can't

Heifer returned to the interrogation room ten minutes later and handed the photocopied note to Longinus, who passed it, face down on the table, to Sedna. She took it in her hands.

"Read it, out loud," Longinus commanded. For a fleeting moment, Sedna felt herself transported back to the classroom at the Academy, being stared down by Mr. Collier as she held that other note in her hands. And, like that other time, she didn't want to do it.

"We don't have all day, Miss Okpik, so if you don't want to spend the night in a holding cell, you should read it now," Longinus commanded.

Sedna looked up from Longinus and back to the note, cleared her throat, and began reciting:

_Dear Sedna_, the note began in Coral's slopping, curled handwriting,

_If you read this, it means that I am gone. I'm not dead. I just don't want to live in District 4 anymore. I can't stand it here anymore. I just want to go away from 4, from Monica, from where Dad died, and go to a place where I can start a new life._

_So yes, I ran away from District 4. I know it's illegal, but I don't care any more. I would rather be arrested by the Capital than go back and deal with Monica and her bimbo goon squad._

_I'm so, so sorry for the hell I'm about to put you through. Monica's going to turn her attention to you now. But you're so much stronger than me. I know you can deal with it better than I or anyone else before me can ever do_.

_Again, it hurts me to have to put you through this pain. But I can't take it anymore. It breaks my heart to have to do this to you, but if I stay here for any minute longer, I might as well off myself. _

_Please don't be mad at me. Just be happy that I am looking for a new life that is far away from here and that I don't have to suffer any more. _

_Your best friend forever and ever,_

_Corrie_

_P.S._

_Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ever have. _

Sedna finished the note without a dry eye. She reached up and wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her jacket.

So that was it then? Coral didn't die. She just up and ran away from home. And even if that was the case, even if Coral was now alive and just hiding out somewhere, it might as well be like being dead. Whatever happened, she was gone and never coming back to District 4.

And Monica pushed her into doing that. That smug, arrogant brat from the Career Academy. And the worst thing was, no one could lift a finger to punish her.


	21. Chapter 21

Theme: 58. Kick in the Head

With the interrogation over, Longinus escorted Sedna out of the room and to the white-marbled lobby of the headquarters. Mrs. Okpik, who had been waiting in the lobby since Sedna had been taken in for questioning, rushed up to her daughter and wrapped her in her arms.

"Sedna, are you alright," Mrs. Okpik asked before turning to Longinus, "is she free to go now, sir?"

"I don't see any reason to keep your daughter here," Longinus answered, "from what we know, she has no real involvement behind Ms. Andrews' disappearance."

He turned and left the two women alone in the vast room. Mrs. Opik took Sedna by the hand and led her outside the building. "You're not going to class today. You're going straight home," she said as they walked through the town square, "I don't know why Coral would just leave like it. But today just isn't the right time to go back to the Academy."

Sedna didn't respond. Her mind was numb and she felt like it had been flipped on to the auto-pilot mode. Without protest, she followed her mother back to their home, where, when they crossed the threshold, Sedna returned to the room she shared with Nini and collapsed onto the bottom bunk.

The room was deserted save for Sedna. Nini was probably still in school, probably unaware of what had just happened.

Mrs. Okpik appeared at the doorway. "Sedna, do you want to talk?"

"No thanks," she replied.

"You want a snack or a drink?"

"Not in the mood."

There was a long pause after that.

"Do you want to be left alone?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. But if you need me, I'll be in the living room." And with that, Mrs. Okpik was gone, leaving Sedna alone in the room with only her thoughts to occupy herself with.

She reached into the pocket of her shorts, pulled out the copy of Coral's letter, and read it at least a hundred times. Each time she reread the letter, she tried searching out for clues that hinted that Coral may be somewhere else. Maybe she hadn't left District 4 but went south to one of the little fishing villages scattered through out the district. But with each reread, it became more and more evident that it wasn't the case.

Coral Andrews was never someone who would hide double meanings in her work. Despite her reluctance to talk in recent years, when she did, she was a plain spoken girl who didn't embellish her words. She said what she needed to say in the plainest terms possible.

"Why did you do this, Coral," Sedna asked herself, "you're going to get into so much trouble now that you've run away. You could have been safer in District 4 than out there."

This part she knew to be true. In the past few years, there had been a succession of female tributes Reaped from District 10 who were all sisters. Rosaline, Caroline, Aveline, and Hannelle Emberly. Even if they weren't from District 4, when it came time to watching the recaps of the Reapings, everyone let out a cry of sorrow as another unlucky Emberly girl was sent to the Capital to die.

Many of them asked why the Capital would be so cruel in choosing these girls and District 10 for why no one would come forward and volunteer for them so that it would spare the family more heartbreak.

But then the commentators would note that these girls are daughters of a man who escaped from District 10 and who hasn't been found since. "As you may know, leaving your District is a crime," Claudius Templesmith noted each year as the camera zoomed in on another terrified Emberly sister, "with the most dire consequences for the family remaining at home."

Mrs. Okpik poked her head through the door. "Sedna, you have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

Probably a hysterical Nori, having just heard what happened to Coral, or a Skeezer looking to cheer her up, or a furious Erica swearing revenge against the people who made Coral leave.

Mrs. Okpik stood aside, revealing a small, dark haired girl with big, vacant blue eyes and a dark tan behind her.

Sedna sat up on the bed, tucking the letter under her pillow, and exclaimed, "Nettie! I haven't seen you in ages. What brings you around here?"

This was strange because Nettie and Coral were never friends and Sedna barely recalled having ever talked to her.

"I'll leave you two alone," Mrs. Okpik said before disappearing once more. Nettie moved closer to Sedna, taking a seat on a chair pushed up against the wall.

"How's your head doing," Sedna asked, "you took a pretty bad kick to it in training a while back."

"I'm okay now," Nettie said, "I have my bad days, but Mom is friends with the apothecary so I'm able to curb the headaches with these pills she gets me. I'm having a hard time remembering stuff though. Mom says I made Dad cry when I couldn't recognize his face last week though. So my memory loss must be really bad still."

Sedna felt a stab of sympathy for Nettie.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," she said. "Monica was being too aggressive with you when you two were practicing hand-to-hand combat. I don't know why the attendants didn't try to stop her sooner."

"That's why I'm here," Nettie said. "Monica."

"You heard what happened to Coral, didn't you?"

Nettie nodded her head, her springy black curls bouncing up and down with the movement of her head. "It's not her I'm worried about though. It's you," she said in a soft voice. Her eyes shifted from Sedna down to her feet, which were encased in a pair of leather sandals, her fingers tracing the beads on a bracelet she wore on one wrist.

"I think you should be more worried about Coral. She's the one out there in the woods. And I know she's trained in survival skills, but she'll still get caught. And the consequences... I don't even want to think about it."

"But... don't you realize, Monica isn't going to stop," Nettie said, "I tried telling to everyone else, but they all think I'm crazy because of my concussion. But you have to believe me on this."

She looked up and stared Sedna in the eye. "Monica is going to move on to you now," she said, her voice dropping to a lower pitch, trembling as she spoke. "With Coral gone, you're the last scholarship student left in our grade. And she is going to do all that she can to drive you out."

"How do you know all this," Sedna asked. Her eyes trained on Nettie, wondering if she was trying to scare her.

"Because this happened to me too," Nettie confessed, her voice cracking in several places, "Monica began targeting me after Dana Plymouth quit," Nettie said. "At first, it started off with rumors that I was sleeping around with all the boys at school. Which isn't true. Everyone at school already knew I hated sex and that I thought boys were gross. But then it started with more physical things. One of her girls kept tripping me in the halls. There was the time I got locked in a utilities closet and no one could find me for hours. And then... there was the hand-to-hand combat incident. I can't remember that much, but the attendants paired me up with Monica. And when I was down, I felt a cracking pain in my head and blacked out. The next thing I knew, I was woke up at home and a week had already passed."

"Monica kicked you in the head," Sedna said, "I saw it happen. The attendant didn't stop because he thought she was doing a mock blow to the head. He thought she was pretending to hurt you. But he got fired for negligence when it turned out she wasn't faking it."

"Good riddance," Nettie sighed. "But seriously. Monica was doing this awful stuff to me after Dana quit. And now that Coral's gone, she's going to target you next. She already ousted me and Coral out. And now that you're the only scholarship student left, she's going to want you out."

"That's insane, why would Monica save me for last," Sedna asked.

"How should I know? All I know is that she liked harassing the scholarship students so that they can quit and not compete in the Hunger Games. I think she's doing this so that no one will challenge her when the time comes for her to volunteer. Anyway, it was nice seeing you again."

Nettie stood up. "You have a really nice house. It's a lot better than my place. But seriously, watch your back. Monica is going to go after you next, so when that happens, you need to watch out or you'll end up like the rest of us."

And with that, Nettie walked out of the room, leaving Sedna sitting alone on the bed, her mind reeling from what she just learned. Part of her refused to believe that she was going to be Monica's next target, but considering what had already happened to Dana, Nettie, and Coral, it was bound to happen.

Monica Davenport was going to stop at nothing to ensure she got a place as a Tribute, and the only person left standing in the way was Sedna Okpik.


	22. Chapter 22

54. Tower  
"I'll be back in an hour, I just need to talk to someone," Sedna shouted through the house. She took her jacket off of a peg in the hallway and was pulling it on as she reached the front door. Mrs. Okpik, who had been sitting on the old, threadbare sofa, reading a book, looked up and asked, "and where are do you think you're going?"

"The Plymouths," Sedna announced.

Mrs. Okpik gave her a funny look, as if she wanted to say, "your best friend is missing and you're going to the Plymouths? You haven't talked to Dana in years!"

"I just need to ask her something that Nettie brought up during her visit," Sedna explained, "I can't explain it just yet, but I need to clarify with Dana. You know, since Nettie has memory problems."

"Well then, if that be the case, can you tell Mrs. Plymouth that I said 'hello'," Mrs. Okpik asked, returning to her book.

"Will do." Sedna walked out the front door and closed it behind her before proceeding down the street to where the Plymouth's resided.

The Plymouth's lived in a section of the Breck that was so close to the shore, their home had to be built on high stilts for days when the tide threatened to floor any ground-level homes. Although it had been years since Sedna had visited this part of the District, she could still tell the Plymouth's home apart from the other stilted houses grouped around it. There was an improvised ramp built over the outdoor staircase, allowing the occupants inside easier access to the outside world.

Sedna ascended the ramp and walked up to the front door, knocking three times, and waiting patiently for someone to open the door. When the door did open, she was greeted by a very tall woman in a spotted apron, a meat cleaver clutched in one hand. Her jet black hair was twisted this way and that into an elaborately braided bun that no other woman in the Breck would wear except on Reaping Day.

"Sedna, what a pleasant surprise. It's been years since we've seen you around here," Mrs. Plymouth said. "What brings you around here?"

"I'm here to see Dana," she explained. "Also, my mom told me to tell you that she says 'hello'."

Mrs. Plymouth gave her a small smile. "Well that's nice. Dana doesn't receive a lot of visitors. The only people who come to visit her nowadays are Nettie and Barney."

"Barney Collins," Sedna asked. Although it had been years since she talked to Barney, she remembered him as being a big boned, loud mouth of a boy whose brand of class comedy was telling crude jokes about mermaids and who grossed out all the girls by belching the national anthem of Panem or lighting his farts on fire with a lighter he bummed off of his dad.

"The same. They have a lot of things to bond over. And Barney makes Dana really happy," Mrs. Plymouth explained. She led Sedna inside and escorted her down the whitewashed hallway to Dana's bedroom. "You can't imagine what it was like after we found out about Dana's condition. She was inconsolable. But whenever she sees Barney, she just lights up!"

Sedna tried to picture Dana smiling when she and Barney were together, but she couldn't. Dana was the class prude, the one who ran out with her hands over her ears when Barney talked, in graphic detail, about dolphin mating rituals and who continually told him to grow up whenever he belched the alphabet. To see her and Barney hanging out together was just something unfathomable. But it had been years since she had seen them in class. Maybe Barney finally decided to grow up.

Mrs. Plymouth opened a door and called out, "Dana, you have a visitor."

Dana Plymouth was seated in a wheelchair that was pushed up to an old desk that was converted into a vanity. She turned from her reflection and looked up at her mother. "Is it Barney," she asked.

"No, it's Sedna," Mrs. Plymouth replied. Sedna stepped into the room, giving Dana a small smile. The look of joy on Dana's face disappeared, leaving only a look of disappointment.

"Oh," she said, dropping her hairbrush on her lap.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Mrs. Plymouth said before leaving the two girls alone. Sedna looked around the bedroom, trying to avoid staring at Dana in a wheelchair.

"You don't have to avoid looking at me, I'm pretty used to the weird looks," Dana said, turning back to the mirror as she continued brushing her hair. "It's not easy being the only kid in the Breck in a wheelchair."

Sedna looked over at Dana and was surprised by one new feature about her. In the three years since she had left the Academy, Dana's formerly chin-length hair had now grown out to her waist. The effect of her with long hair, being shut up in a room with only a wheelchair and a ramp as a means of going outside, reminded her of Rapunzel in a way.

"You look lovely," Sedna noted, "your hair really softens up your face. No offense, but short hair never really suited you. Kind of made you look like a boy."

Dana gave a small smile as she brushed her hair. "Yeah, looking back on it, the bob was a personal faux pas for me. But why are you here? We were never friends. You always hung out with Coral while I stuck with Nettie."

"It's because of Nettie that I'm here. She stopped by for a visit today."

"Is that so?"

"Coral's gone missing, and we think she may have left the District," Sedna said. Dana placed the hairbrush back on the vanity surface.

"Is that so? That is just awful," she said softly, her eyes downcast. "Why would she do such a thing?"

Sedna sat down on the edge of Dana's bed and explained what had happened in the past year. As she recounted the abuse Coral had suffered, culminating with her running away from home, Dana's brown eyes widened, her mouth hanging agape.

"So she's moved on to a new victim, hasn't she," Dana asked, "the bitch!"

"It doesn't end there," Sedna said, "Nettie stopped by my house today to warn me that Monica is going to start harassing me now that Coral's left. She says that Monica will stop until I also quit the Academy."

"Did she really." Dana took a piece of hair and began braiding it.

"She did. Which leads me to this question. Is Nettie telling the truth? Did Monica actually bully her after you quit. Because due to her brain injury, I don't know for sure. Since your her best friend, I figure you would shed light on this."

Dana sighed again and abandoned her braiding. The lock of hair she had been working on unraveled the moment her fingers ceased working.

"Sadly, it is true," Dana said. "Monica started harassing Nettie after I left. Nettie kept a journal at the time, she kept it because she wanted to record her experiences at the Academy for her children to read when she becomes a Victor. And a lot of what she wrote were things Monica did to her. I should know because I read some of the entries and they were all written before her accident. Some of them I can vouch for because I was there.

But she and Coral aren't the only victims. She said some really nasty things about me for years. But I ignored it. Like my grandma, may she rest in peace, always said, 'sticks and stones may break my bones. But words can never hurt me'. And I took that advice to heart, ignoring what Monica said because words can never hurt me."

"Did Monica do this to you," Sedna asked, gesturing at Dana's wheelchair. Dana let out a pitiful sigh and patted at the massive wheels.

"I think so, although the Academy chalked it up to being an accident," Dana said. "They should have never paired Monica up as my handler when we were practicing rock climbing that day. I told them that I wanted to be paired with Nettie. But they didn't listen to me! Do you remember that?"

"How can I not," Sedna asked. "I was up on that wall with you when you fell. You fell too fast for me to catch you."

"I'm convinced that Monica let go of the rope holding me up as I was rappelling down the rock wall," Dana spat in a bitter tone, "but she claimed she had a hand spasm and lost her grip on the rope. A doctor even had the nerve to confirm it. So that's why she gets to go back to the Academy while I have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."

The more Sedna kept hearing about what Monica did to her friends, the more livid she got. How long has her sociopathy been going on, unchecked by the Academy staff? It didn't matter if she is a Victor's child. Monica was getting away with hurting other girls. While it has been a miracle that no one in District 4 has died by her hand yet, how long will she continue before it does actually happen?

"My parents also think Monica did it on purpose," Dana continued. "They even wanted to sue the Academy for negligence. But it's a lot easier said than done. Although they managed to get Mr. Davenport to may for my medical bills, the wheelchair, and to get a ramp fitted for our house. So I have to hand it to him for trying to take responsibility for his actions."

"And what about all this stuff," Sedna asked, pointing to the vanity. The surface was littered with a wide variety of styling products, hair accessories, curlers, flat irons, hair dryers, combs and brushes. Expensive looking things that a girl from the Breck couldn't possibly afford.

"Oh, these," Dana asked, nodding to the styling tools that more or less belonged in the Capital and not in a poor girl's bedroom. "Ummi gave them to me."

"Ummi? As in Ummi Housen? Victor of the 44th Hunger Games Ummi Housen?"

"Uh, yeah. But she's in the process of changing her last name to 'Higgs', on account that she's married to my uncle Cyrill," Dana explained. "She got me all of these products and stuff from the Capital. I think she feels sorry for me because I'm holed up in my room all the time. She keeps calling me 'Rapunzel' and goes on about how I'm stuck in a tower with nothing to do but play with my hair. It's really weird, but Mom says I can't say anything bad about it. She says it's a side-effect of her winning her Games."

"I know that Ummi likes to nickname people after fairy tale characters," Sedna said, "but never really knew why except that it had something to do with her winning."

"You've seen the reruns of the 44th Games, right," Dana asked. "That year they had the Arena that looked like an abandoned power plant?"

"I remember the mass electrocution and her being the only one who survived."

"And now she thinks she lives in a sort of weird fairy tale world. Not that it bothers me. Personally, I don't mind the 'Rapunzel' moniker if it means getting cool stuff from her. And in a way, it's fitting. We both have very long hair and we're stuck in a tower without a real means of ever going out."

Dana resumed her braiding and Sedna watched as she worked her long black hair into an elaborate confection that elongated the back of her head, making it look like she was wearing a bonnet made of her own braided tresses. When she was finished, Dana finished it off with a spritz of hairspray.

"You're really good at this," Sedna remarked. Dana smiled back at her.

"When you spend three years stuck in a "tower" with nothing else to do, you pick up a new hobby and somehow perfect it," Dana said. "Mom says I can make a lot of money if I sell my services to the mayor's wife and all the other rich women here. And I'm open to the idea of it. Girl's gotta make a living after all. I just don't want to work on Monica's hair. You can guess why, of course."

She wheeled herself away from the vanity and admired herself in the mirror before turning to Sedna. "It's nice of you to pay me a visit. I really hope you come back again."

"I will." Sedna got up and was about to leave when Dana said, "and one more thing. Monica's going to start giving you Hell. When she does, you need to be on alert. She already dashed my dreams and those of Nettie and Coral. I don't want to see you suffer the same fate as us. So please, for the sake of everyone in the Breck, watch out for that girl. I want to see a Victor from the Breck, not a spoiled brat from the Victor's Village."

* * *

A/N: This was a long chapter, yes, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying writing about Dana although I doubt we will see her anytime soon. I didn't know how to incorporate the theme of 'tower', but then I had this idea of a girl confined in a wheelchair, locked in a room, who can't leave because of her disability. I also imagined Dana, over the years, growing her hair out so that she could have something to play around with. She isn't much of a reader, and her family wouldn't be the types who could afford for an extra television set, so she resorted to practicing various hairstyles as a means of entertainment.

Although Ummi goes by the surname of "Higgs" in the Victor's Daughter and Shattered Memories by Sparrow Cries (whose work I highly recommend you check out, especially since Sedna is the tribute from District 4 in those Games), I imagined her as having the maiden name of "Housen". "Housen" means "treasure ship" in Japanese, and I had envisioned Ummi as being of Japanese descent. I know it's taboo since there are other writers out there who use gratuitous amounts of Japanese in their stories without any real context or bearing in the universe the story is based in outside of anime and manga. Yet, I pictured her as coming from a family who, after the Dark Days, wanted to uphold and continue their cultural heritage, and one of the ways was by giving the children Japanese names. Because her name means "ocean" and "treasure ship", I guess you can say that Ummi's name means "pirate ship on the sea" or something like that.

As for Dana's name, it's a shout out to Dana Point, California, a wonderful coastal city near San Diego.


	23. Chapter 23

63. Do Not Disturb (chapter 23)

Dinner that night at the Okpik household was uncomfortably quiet. On the days when Sedna did come home early for dinner, the table would be alive with chatter and laughter as the family sitting around the round table with the scrubbed, wooden surface laden with left over fish, beans, and luxuries such as rolls, slices of ham, and mashed potatoes that Sedna would nick from the mess hall. They would swap stories of their days that were embellished with funny anecdotes that made everyone burst into a riot of laughter so loud everyone around the neighborhood would call up and complain of the noise.

It appeared as if Mrs. Okpik, as soon as the rest of the family returned home, had told them what had happened and forbade them from speaking about it. Yet no one knew what to do or say that could help Sedna.

That night, no one talked. They sat around and ate their simple meal of fried tuna slices and brown rice. At one point, Arnook tried talking about a prank his friend Aran pulled using a sea sponge and a ping pong ball but was shushed by Mrs. Okpik, who said that now wasn't a good time to hear it.

"This is bogus," Arnook grumbled, "I just wanted to liven up the mood. It feels like someone died here tonight."

And before anyone could respond, he took his plate and left the table, saying, "anyone needs me, I'll be taking my meal in my bunk. Good night."

Sedna just stared glumly at her plate, taking only small bites of food. Although she didn't doubt that Coral's ability to survive in the woods, after all survival skills such as building a fire, shelter, and finding food was as important to learn at the Academy as it was to kill, she still felt sick knowing that she was out there in the woods, presumably with no means of protecting herself. Besides wild animals, imagine what other dangers lurked in the woods? She had heard stories over the years of Mutts being released into the woods as a means of keeping everyone confined to their districts and of the Capital sending hovercrafts to patrol the skies.

And then there were the warnings from Nettie and Dana. "Monica will come after you next," they said, and it was true. Nettie now has memory problems and Dana will never walk again. They were proof that Monica Davenport could inflict harm and get away with it before moving on to the next victim and inflicting the same terrible cycle again. She will stop at nothing to make sure that no one challenges her aspiration of becoming a Victor. And now with Coral gone, the only person in their age group left standing in the way to riches and glory was Sedna.

"Mom, do you think Coral will be alright," Nini asked softly.

"I hope so, mija," Mrs. Okpik said. "I hope so."

Mr. Okpik looked across the table and saw his eldest daughter's grim expression. "Sedna," he began, "you feeling alright?"

She didn't acknowledge the question. Instead, she sat as still as a buoy anchored in calm waters, her eyes downcast and staring at the bits of food still on the plate.

"Kuruk, leave her alone," Mrs. Okpik said. "She had a really traumatic day. The best you can do is not to disturb her."

Well, maybe she wants to talk," Mr. Okpik protested, "Araceli, it's not healthy for anyone to keep their emotions bottled up. They might just explode from the pressure. Remember a few years back with that one guy I worked with?"

"How can I forget," she asked, the tone of her voice implying that there was more to the story they were referring to, but it was one that they were not going to willingly discuss. Especially in front of their daughters.

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine with me," Nini said to Sedna. "But if you do, I'll be happy to listen."

"Thanks for the offer," she said, "but I'm gonna have to decline. I don't want to talk about it."

Sedna pushed her chair away from the table. "I'll be in my room," she announced and left before anyone can say anything else. When she reached her room, she collapsed back onto the bottom bunk, where she remained for the rest of the evening. As her head hit the pillow, she felt a crinkling sensation from underneath, sat up, reached under the pillow, and pulled out the copy of the note from under her pillow.

When she saw the note, Sedna angrily crumpled it up and chucked it across the room, where it bounced off the rim of the wastebasket and landed on the ground, before collapsing onto her back. No matter what, she couldn't bring herself to cry. Sedna Okpik was never a crier. She was someone who tried to keep her emotions under control as best as possible. Yet today... today was the boiling point. Never had she felt so much anger and rage at the people that caused this day to happen. Monica, with her unchecked sociopathy, whose relentless harassment drove Coral away from District 4. Coral, who was too weak to stand up and with anymore and who thought running away from her problems was the best solution. And herself, for not doing enough to save her best friend in the end.

With no one to come knocking, asking her if she was alright, Sedna found herself spending the rest of the night alone, reflecting back on the events of the past day, feeling more and more distressed the more she thought about it. With Coral gone, she was now going to have to take her place in the Hell created by Monica Davenport.

And who knows what tortures Monica had in store for her.


	24. Chapter 24

Theme: 39. Dreams

Sedna found herself standing in a landscape that was completely and utterly foreign to her. As she regained a sense of what was going on, she scanned her surroundings. Everywhere she walked, all she could see for miles were trees. Huge, towering trees with branches sprouting needle-like green leaves that left a fresh scent she had never smelled before loomed overhead. The branches so wide they provided a shady cover, although little bits of blue sky peaked through the gaps the leaves and branches made. Beams of sunlight poked through the gaps and cast rays of light upon the dry, brown ground carpeted with fallen twigs and dead leaves that crunched underfoot.

She found herself wandering this strange and crowded scene for what felt like hours, unsure of where she was and how she got here. While she had seen forests before, on television in old rerun of past Hunger Games, for a girl who had spent her entire life by the scene, the change in scenery was jarring.

She felt tempted to shout, "hello? Is anyone there? Where am I?" but couldn't. What if she really was in the Hunger Games? If she made herself known, someone would hear her and kill her. She felt around her waist and her back, hoping that she had a weapon on her. But there was none to be found. No weapon, no pack, nothing at all. The worst situation a tribute could face in the Arena.

She grew still and dread invaded every part of her body. Her knees felt weak and it took a lot of willpower to not keel over onto her knees and give in to the weakness. Her heart began to race, pumping blood at an alarming rate until her ears grew hot and she could only hear her pounding heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. That infernal noise deafened her to every other sound around her. And when she realized that without her hearing, she wouldn't tell if there was a tribute right behind her, waiting for a chance to strike, her heart pounded at an even faster rate until she was sure it will burst, killing her before anyone or anything would seize the chance.

Sedna whipped her head around, but found no one waiting behind with a raised weapon. She looked up into the trees, recalling a Hunger Games where a District 3 boy hid up in the branches of a giant oak and built a contraption that electrocuted the other surviving tributes. When she was sure there was no one hiding above, she began walking through the forest, keeping her eyes peeled for any other tribute. Along the way, she picked up a couple of heavy rocks and carried them in her hands. Any weapon, even a primitive one, would be better than no weapon.

After what felt like hours and hours of walking, something gold glinted brightly in the distance. Sedna held her ground and hid behind the trunk of a giant sequoia, peering over the side and observing the golden thing up ahead, hidden amongst the greenery. Slowly, making sure not to make a sound, Sedna left the refuge of the tree trunk and began creeping towards the yellow object, rocks ready to throw if it was a tribute.

As she got closer, she realized that what she was looking at was a head. A head covered with sandy blonde hair drawn up into a messy topknot. Sedna ducked behind another tree, but as she did, a branch snapped underneath. The head turned around and Sedna's eyes widened as she saw who it belonged to.

Coral.

Coral turned to the direction of the noise and froze.

"No... this can't be the Hunger Games," Sedna thought frantically. "It's a boy and a girl tribute we send. Not two girls! And the Quarter Quell isn't for another sixteen years!"

She peered over the side and confirmed what she thought she had seen. Yes, that was Coral Andrews standing in the clearing, looking as terrified as she. But why were they in the woods?

Before Sedna could think of a possible answer, she slipped and fell. Upon hearing the noise coming from the tree, Coral took off. Sedna scrambled to her feet and took chase, pursuing Coral as she darted between t he trees.

"Corrie! Wait," Sedna shouted but Coral didn't abide. She just continued running. And with her long legs, Coral was able to put more distance between her and her old friend. Sedna cursed to herself as she realized the growing gap between them. In compensation, Sedna began to pick up the pace and hurried as quickly as her short legs would allow her to.

This continued for what felt like an eternity. As she ran, she realized that no matter how long or how fast, she couldn't get tired. It was as if she was being doomed to spend an eternity chasing after Coral.

Finally, Coral stopped and looked down at her feet. As Sedna drew closer, she realized why. Coral was standing on the brink of a massive cliff, hundreds, if not thousands, of feet in the air.

"Coral, just come back," Sedna shouted, "please come back. If you go, Monica will start hunting me. Please. If you were my friend, you wouldn't let me deal with her alone."

But all Coral did was look down at her feet, then up at Sedna, then down at the cliff.

"I'm sorry," Coral said, and with that, she closed her eyes, leaned back, and fell off the edge.

Unable to say another word, Sedna followed after Coral and soon, she too was plummeting down an endless chasm, her heart thumping once more as she tumbled down the black abyss.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

The sound kept repeating over and over again until Sedna opened up her eyes to a darkened room. The tapping noise filling up the room. She blinked her eyes several times, rubbing them until she could see more clearly. When she did, she looked around and realized that she was still in her bedroom, still in bed. She rolled over in the bed and gripped her hair with one hand.

"It was just a bad dream," Sedna mumbled to herself, "just a really, really bad dream."

Meanwhile, the tapping continued.


	25. Chapter 25

Theme: 81. Pen and Paper

Sedna sat up in bed, letting out a sharp hiss of pain as her forehead collided with the bottom slats of the bunk bed. As she rubbed the sore spot on her head, the rapping on the window continued in a perfect tempo of beats. After a couple of repetitions of the taps, she realized that it wasn't just random tapping from an errant branch swaying in the wind. No, the beats were too familiar. It took her another moment to realize where she heard the beats from. It was the tune of 'Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits', a little ditty her father once taught her on a stormy Sunday afternoon when she was just a small child.

She looked down at the alarm clock at her side. It was 3 A.M. "Who the heck will be up at this hour," she asked herself as she got out of bed. With the curtains drawn over the window, she couldn't see who was tapping on the glass. It couldn't be her father. He'd be knocking on the door, not go around back and knock on the window. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe Coral did come home and she needed a place to stay for the night.

Sedna slipped out of bed and quietly crept to the window. Please let it be Coral, please let it be Coral, she thought before yanking the curtains open.

The person standing in her backyard wasn't Coral. It was Nori.

"Nori? What in the Sam Hill are you doing here," Sedna whispered.

"You have any plans for today," Nori asked. Sedna shook her head.

"It's Saturday, I always hang out with you that day," she answered.

"Good," Nori replied. "Now do me a favor. Get dressed in your warmest clothes, get a bag of supplies together, and meet me outside in ten minutes."

"What for?"

Nori gave her a smirk. "Skeezer and I heard what happened to Coral, and we talked it over. We decided that we're gonna form a search party for her."

"You actually got permission from the Peacekeepers for this?"

"Actually, no... not really," Nori admitted. "Skeezer's mom cleans out the headquarters though and she heard that they aren't going to go looking for her. And since they aren't gonna do jackshit to help, I figured that if they aren't going to do it, its up to us to find and save her. She has to be out there. If she really is missing, at least we can confirm that she's gone."

"And where do you think we're going?"

"The woods, of course!"

Sedna felt her blood go cold as her heart skipped a beat and her knees turned to the consistency of solid jelly before gripping the window sill for support. The woods? As in the woods outside of District 4, beyond the electric fence? Was Nori crazy? Going beyond the District is a punishable offense. If they got caught, they could be whipped or put in the stocks or, worse, hanged for defying the Capital.

There was just no way she was going into the woods. As much as she loved Coral and wanted her home, that girl already got her into enough trouble. And Sedna wasn't willing to put herself into more trouble. It was bad enough she was now going to be Monica's punching bag. If she were to be caught by the Peacekeepers, it will be like digging herself into an inescapable pit.

Sedna turned to look up at Nini. The little girl was fast asleep, her arm curled around a plush, toy dolphin, murmuring about helping the Queen of the Mermaids find her lost treasure before the Dread Sea Monkey King claimed it for himself. "That girl really can sleep through anything," Sedna muttered, realizing that Nini didn't wake up to Nori's knocking or their conversation. Then she turned back to Nori.

"Are you insane," Sedna sharply hissed, "we can't go there? We'll get into a lot of trouble if we get caught!"

"Yeah, IF we get caught," Nori noted, placing heavy emphasis on "if", "but me and Skeezer got this all worked out and we think we can get through this without incident. So you have to trust me on this."

Sedna paused for a moment, wondering if she should go along with Nori's plan. It was true that Nori could never get Sedna in trouble on purpose. She had known Nori for almost all of their lives and there was never a time where she proposed an adventure as dangerous as this one. For all intents and purposes, Nori O'Reilly was perfectly harmless. Despite how opposed she was to the plan, despite knowing that there was a high level of risk involved, she also felt that Nori would never purposely get her into trouble. If they were to find trouble, it wouldn't be entirely her fault.

"Fine," Sedna said at last. "I'll meet you outside in ten minutes."

"Great, and another thing," Nori added, "this might take us a day, so bring some food. And you should write a note telling your mom that you're hanging out with me a a way to cope with the grief. She'll never suspect a thing if she knows we're together."

Nori smiled before slipping out of sight. Sedna shut the curtains, shaking her head in the process. Of course Nori would suggest Sedna make up an excuse to throw everyone else off of their course. Although she wondered, as she slipped on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, if her mother would suspect what she was up to, she also had a feeling she wouldn't want to pry into her daughter's personal affairs or try checking up on them. After all, her mother and Nori's mother had been friends for many, many years. There was a high level of trust between them, and if Sedna and Nori were to be spending the day hanging out, Mrs. Okpik would just leave them be. There was no reason to believe that they would be embarking on a dangerous mission that will be taking them out of the District. Knowing Nori all her life, she would assume the girl would be taking Sedna on a sailing trip or on a hike in the outer, yet unrestricted, hills surrounding the District.

After getting dressed, Sedna pulled on a heavy coat and grabbed her ditty bag, packing it with a flashlight, spare batteries, a canteen, a pocket knife, a box of matches, and some nylon rope she found in the back shed where her father kept his tools and fishing equipment. In the kitchen, she filled up the canteen and packed the bag with some apples, a packet of tuna jerky, and a bag of crackers. Once she was done getting her supplies together, she took a sheet of paper and a pen from a utilities drawer and scribbled a short note:

_Mom and Dad_, it began,

_Nori heard what happened. She's taking me out for a sailing trip as a "healing mechanism". I don't get it myself, but her family are nature-loving hippies and Nori insists that being out at sea will help me out. I trust her, so I'm going. Please don't panic. I'll be back before school starts. Promise._

_Love, _

_Sedna_

She pinned the note to the front of the refrigerator, where it was bound to be found, before going outside.

* * *

A/N: Twenty-five chapters down, seventy-five more to go. Wish me luck! I hope to get this done as soon as humanly possible.

I also just want to give a big round of thanks to those who have been reading, reviewing, even favoriting and following this story. The support really means a lot to me, and I really appreciate it. So thank you guys so much. You know who you are. :)


	26. Chapter 26

Theme: 97. Safety First

Sedna found Nori waiting for her on the front steps of her house. The sight of the dreadlocked redhead sitting on the front steps reminded her of how she would do the same thing while waiting for Coral very early in the morning. The reminder of waiting for Coral sent icy stabs of pain in her stomach, and as Sedna tried calming herself down, the pain didn't go away instantaneously.

The two girls walked down the deserted, unpaved road that took them away from the neatly arranged rows of ramshackle cottages, with their chipped and faded clapboard walls, slate roofs patched with bits of corrugated metal, and overgrown front yards brimming with colorful, tropical flowers. Occasionally, they would spot a cat or two curled up together on wood porches or in hammocks some of the residents had strung up enjoying the silence. Eventually, the amount of cottages and bungalows thinned out until they were walking in wilderness that was teeming with untamed grasses, ferns, and towering trees that rose for miles in the air. Occasionally, they would pass by a dilapidated cottage or the shattered, molding remains of a boat, their splintered wooden surfaces covered in vines and weeds as nature claimed them back.

It was still dark out by the time they reached the electric fence that separated District 4 from the rest of Panem. Skeezer sat waiting in the tall grass, his long, tanned fingers gripping a length of leather cord. Beside him sat a large mongrel dog with floppy ears, shaggy, strawberry blonde fur that mimicked its masters shaggy hair, and black and brown markings on its back. Its white muzzle was hanging open, and a long pink tongue lolled out of its mouth.

"Whazzup," he called out as the girls walked up to him. When they got closer, he flashed them a 'hang loose' sign with his free hand, the other holding onto the leash. Nori returned the gesture and Skeezer beamed.

"What's Skeezer doing here," Sedna asked.

"He wanted to help out too, and he's the only person I know who has a dog," Nori explained, "I read somewhere that dogs can sniff out people, so I wanted to borrow Corky. But Skeezer says that if Corky goes, he has to too."

"Corky only listens to my command," Skeezer explained, getting up and dusting bits of grass off of his pants. Corky followed suit, shaking the grass from her fur. "She don't take no authority from strangers."

"I figure that if we have any chance of finding Coral, it would be because of old Corky here," Nori explained. She reached out and ruffled the top of the dog's head. "Yes you will! You'll help us find our friend and we will love you forever for it!"

Corky smiled and licked Nori's hand. Then three teenagers and one dog proceeded up to the fence.

"Ya hear that," Skeezer asked. The girls listened intently for a few minutes.

"I don't hear anything but the birds," said Sedna. Nori nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now check this shit out!" Before they could stop him, Skeezer grabbed hold onto the smooth, white polyrope that made the fence electrified. Nori and Sedna let out two screams to stop him, but instead of jolting away from the fence, Skeezer remained in his spot, a wide grin breaking out over his leathery, tan face bristled with blonde beard stubble. Despite just grabbing onto an electric fence, he was perfectly fine and still alive.

"Skeezer, you dumbass, don't you ever pull another stupid stunt like that again," Nori shrieked, pushing him away from the fence. He let go and stumbled back.

"What? I was just trying to prove a point," he said defensively. "You can tell the fence is buzzed when you hear that buzzing sound. And since the fence is silent, it's safe to go through."

"But you could have gotten killed," Sedna said. "My dad knew a guy in high school who committed suicide on the electric fences here. And he said that finding that guy's charred body was highhandedly the second most traumatizing thing he had ever seen."

"But I proved that the fence is safe to go through, amiright," he asked. " Buzzing means dangerous. And silence equals safe. My dad told me that once when he took me out to go harvesting... our special herb. Nori, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. But my question is why would the electricity be off," Nori asked, "I thought these things were on 24/7."

"Maybe the Capital told everyone that it was electrified so that everyone would stay inside," Sedna suggested, "think of it this way, Nori. What if your dad came home with a bottle of something that he says is poisonous? Would you still drink it anyway, even if it turned out to just be a bottle of black market gin?"

"Of course not," Nori replied, "I wouldn't care what it is if Dad says it'll kill me. Why risk it?"

"Well, maybe that bottle of poison gin is this fence," Skeezer said, suddenly understanding the analogy, "if people are told its dangerous, they wouldn't want to drink it or go near it. But this fence is completely harmless for now. So it's safe for us to go through it. Remember, silent equals safe."

"Yeah, but... really, Skeezer, don't you ever scare us like that again or I'll kick your ass into next year," Nori threatened. With that, she squeezed herself through the gaps in the fence, pushing up one of the cords as she got through. The other two, as well as Corky, also passed without incident. And with that, they found themselves standing in the wilds that bordered their District.

* * *

A/N: This was originally part of a longer chapter that I decided to break up, mostly so I can use up theme 97. Safety First. I figure, what better way than to have a stoner surfer defy the Capital by proving that they don't always electrify the fence.

The idea for the fence stunt from Mainstay Productions short film "The Hanging Tree", which I highly recommend you go and watch. So credit goes to them for the idea.

As for Skeezer's special herb... it's marijuana. Skeezer's dad keeps up a secret marijuana patch just outside of the electric fence. You really can't have a coastal district, based in what was once California, without at least a couple of stoners.


	27. Chapter 27

Theme: 4. Dark

Skeezer reached into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out a small, rolled up, white piece of fabric. He shook it open, beating it against his leg, and held it out for the girls to see. It was an old, white tank top of Coral's.

"Where'd you get that," Sedna asked, her eyes on the tank top.

"I broke into her room and took it," he explained. Sedna's eyes widened and her mouth parted in shock, as if Skeezer admitted that he broke into and desecrated a hallowed site. "Don't worry, this was the only thing I took. I left the room still looking the same. And I'll return it."

He held up the tank top to Corky's nose, who began sniffing it. Almost immediately, Corky perked up her head, sniffed at the wind, and took off towards the grove of trees before them, dragging Skeezer behind her. Nori and Sedna took off after him, racing to catch up with him as he and the dog sprinted through the trees.

It was still night when the chase began, and Sedna found herself having a difficult time dodging the trees through the dark forest. The growth of trees were so dense, with lofty branches that blocked out the light of the moon and stars overhead. If it weren't for Nori's vibrant dreadlocks, which resembled streaks of fire hanging down her back, she was sure she would be lost in the dark woods.

After running for miles through the thick forest, Corky stopped and began sniffing the ground. Nori, panting heavily, collapsed to her knees while Sedna, who was used to running laps around the training center, leaned against a thick tree trunk and caught her breath. Skeezer sprawled onto his back, one hand still clutching the leash attached to Corky's collar.

As she regained her bearings after what felt like hours of running, Sedna surveyed their surroundings. They were standing in the midst of a circular clearing, ringed by giant sequoias and redwoods. The sky overhead was a dark blue streaked with gold, pink, and orange. Sunrise. The ring of trees bordering the clearing were so thick, she couldn't see anything beyond just more trees. There was no way to tell if they were near the seaside cliffs that made up the western border of District 4, or if they were farther inland.

"How do people in District 7 live like this," Skeezer asked. "All I can see are trees. There's no ocean or nuttin'. It's really boring to look at."

"How should I know, I've never been there," Sedna said.

"Maybe if we go farther inland, we might end up there," Nori said, "they're, like, north of us, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Sedna said, recalling back to the map of Panem that hung in Mr. Collier's classroom at the Academy. She plopped down at the base of the tree and watched as Corky shifted her black nose through the leaves, twigs, and soil that carpeted the forest floor. When she reached a certain place in the ground, she stopped, sniffed some more, before howling up at the sky, which was fading from the dark blue to a lighter shade.

"What'd ya find, girl," Skeezer asked. He sat up and crawled to the dog, ruffling her fur when he reached her. Sedna and Nori got up and walked to where they sat. As they got closer, they noticed a ring of rocks, neatly arranged where Corky stopped. The inside of the ring had been trampled on, bits of charcoal-black sticks poking out of the dirt.

"Someone was here and they made a fire," Sedna noted. She got down on her knees and traced the burnt pile in the center of the rock ring. When she drew her hand away from the ring, the tips of her fingers were coated in ashes.

"You think Coral was here," Nori asked.

"If she wasn't, Corky wouldn't have led us here," Skeezer said. He got up, took the leash, and began leading Corky around the clearing as she searched out where Coral might have traveled next. When she picked up Coral's scent, she took off in a direction north of the clearing. Skeezer followed, while Sedna and Nori trailed behind him.

Corky slowed her pace down to a walk, her nose on the ground and sniffing out any trace of Coral. Eventually, Sedna and Nori caught up with Skeezer and walked alongside him as they traveled deeper into the woods. After a long bout of silence, Skeezer finally spoke up. "You mentioned that finding the body on the fence was your dad's second most traumatic moment," Skeezer began, "What was the first traumatizing thing then? 'Cause I hear your dad is a massive badass. Like, he is the bravest dude to live in District 4. What could have been worse than finding the body of a guy who got electrocuted?"

"Remember that one Hunger Games with the girl who got blown up to bits," Sedna asked, "she dropped her tribute token on the pedestal before the Games even started?"

"I remember seeing the bimbo from District 1 freak out," Nori recalled. She raised her voice to a shrill octave, "Oh...mah...Gawd! You got blood in... my... hair!"

She burst out laughing at the memory of seeing that District 1 tribute half-covered in gore, with bits of the dead girl clinging to her white-blonde hair. Skeezer laughed too while Sedna cracked a small smile.

"Well, that's Dad's first traumatizing moment," Sedna said, "and, to be honest, I have to agree with him on that. It was really sick of them to focus on her remains while the hovercraft tried to scrape them up."

"Yeah, it was," Nori agreed, "But c'mon, who didn't laugh at the District 1 girl's reaction?"

"I did," Skeezer said, "but for me, it was funny when she freaked out, got unfunny when she got killed, like, ten minutes later, but it got funny again when they aired the recap of the freak out."

"Pretty much," Nori agreed. The two began chatting about random things... surfing, school, what the other Bay Boys were doing, and plans for a bonfire birthday party for one of the Boys that was to be happening the following Saturday. Meanwhile, Sedna walked behind them, listening quietly to their conversation with mild interest. As she listened, she looked around the woods and felt a sense of deja vu. As the light of a new day dawned, it became clearer to see her surroundings. They were roaming through a forest with towering sequoias and redwoods, a sight she had never seen before except on television and on one other time.

"This feels too familiar," she said.

"Say what? Couldn't quite hear ya," Skeezer said, never looking back.

"I said this feels familiar," Sedna said.

"How can that be, we've never been here before," said Nori.

Sedna took a deep breath and explained, "I had a dream about this place. I dreamed that I was in these same woods. Or something similar to that."

"And what were you doing," asked Skeezer.

"Looking for Coral."

"Did you find her," Nori asked.

Sedna felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she recalled that dream. "Something like that."

"Great. Maybe its foreshadowing that we'll find her," Skeezer said. As he finished speaking, Corky perked her head up and let out two loud barks before taking off into the trees. Once again, Skeezer was dragged along for the ride while Nori and Sedna raced to catch up to him, wondering where Corky was going to take them next.


	28. Chapter 28

Theme: 65. Horror

Corky led Skeezer, Sedna, and Nori across the woods for what felt like hours. After what felt like miles, the trees began to thin out until they were running though more open spaces marked by huge boulders and sparse greenery. Overhead, the blue sky was being overtaken by dark gray, heavy clouds that cast the land in shadow. Eventually, she came to a stop, with the others following suit.

The group found themselves standing on top of a high, rocky cliff that overlooked a rushing river choked with more boulders and dead plants. Skeezer led Corky up and down the cliff's edge, where she let out a loud whine before sitting down, her head resting on her front paws.

"Sorry girls, but it appears that the scent trail ends here," Skeezer announced. Sedna walked up to the cliff's edge and laid down on her stomach, peering over the brink. The cliff face was at least fifty feet high, with a scraggly, jagged rock surface with bits of tree roots and branches poking out from the cracks. Below, a wide river cut through the valley. Off on her left hand side, in the distance, was a watery blur in the horizon that she was sure was an ocean. When she turned her head to the right, all she could see was a rocky riverbank that disappeared around the corner of the cliff.

"Hey, guys, check this out," Nori said. She stood farther down the cliff edge, down Sedna's right. She was sitting on her haunches, holding a long object in her hands. Skeezer, Sedna, and Corky walked up to her. As they got closer, they realized that she was holding up a length of rope that was tied around a tree root. "You guys think she was here?"

Corky began sniffing at the rope before letting out a howl.

"It looks like it," Skeezer confirmed.

"She must have rappelled down the cliff," Sedna observed. "How else would the scent trail end? She must have tried up this rope and gone down the cliff. And this cliff is no higher than the rock wall at the Academy. She's trained on it, so this would have been no different than the rock wall."

Sedna grabbed the rope and walked down the cliff. "I'm gonna go down," she announced.

"Are you nuts," Skeezer shouted. Corky growled in response.

"Look, it's not that difficult," Sedna said. "It may be fifty feet up, but I've done rope climbing before. It's not that hard if you've done it at least a thousand times. And this is nothing compared to grabbing hold of an electric fence, Skeezer."

Skeezer's face turned to a brilliant shade of reddish pink. "I did that because I knew I'd be okay. What you're doing is suicide. How are you going to get back up?"

"Like I said, Skeezer, I've climbed ropes before, this is nothing," Sedna said. She grabbed a hold of the rope and walked up to the edge. "I'm just going to go down to investigate. Look around for an hour, then go back up. If I find Coral, great. I'll convince her to come back to 4 with us."

"No offense," Nori began, "but I'm starting to think that maybe Coral doesn't want to be found. If she wanted to be found, she wouldn't have scaled down the cliff. If she goes down, it'll throw off the scent trail. And no one can go after her."

"But there's a river there, the first water source we've seen since climbing the fence," Sedna pointed out, "survival skills 101. Find a water source and stick to it."

She looked up at Nori and Skeezer. "I don't see any other reason why she wouldn't go down. I'm gonna follow. I'll go searching for an hour and then climb back up. Can we agree on that?"

"You promise it'll be an hour," Nori asked, her voice laced with concern. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Sedna with a worried frown etched on her face.

"I promise," Sedna said, "I'll be back in an hour. You have my word on that."

With that, she took the rope in her hands, wrapped the length around one leg, with the end trailing down the top of her boot. Placing her other foot so that the rope ran between the insteps, she slowly inched toward the edge of the cliff before finding herself dangling on the edge, the rope gripped between her hands. "I'll be back in an hour. Promise!"

"You better," Nori shouted, "Cause me and Skeezer aren't going to go down to find you."

"Don't worry, I will," Sedna shouted, and with that, she disappeared over the brink.

Climbing down a rope was nothing new to Sedna. The key to getting down to the bottom of the cliff was by easing herself down the length, dividing her weigh evenly between her feet and her hands before sliding down.

"Hand-over-hand, hand-over-hand," Sedna kept repeating to herself as she inched down the rope, placing one hand under the other as she descended, recalling the ropes lesson from the Academy. "Hand-over-hand."

After a long while, Sedna felt solid ground. She looked down to find herself sanding on the rocky riverbank, then looked up. "An hour, tops!" she shouted.

Then she took off down the river.

The rocks underfoot crunched as Sedna made her way down the bank. Every which way, she looked for any sign of Coral, but found none. Instead, all she could see was a river so wide, the other side was just a mere dash in the distance, bordered by two cliffs that loomed overhead. Certain parts of the valley were cast in dark shadows that were aggravated by the overcast sky that blocked out the sun. This was a scary place to be in, and she was sure that if her parents knew where she was, they would panic. But she wouldn't.

"Just pretend that you're in the Hunger Games," Sedna muttered to herself. "This Games has a canyon Arena, and you're just looking for the other tribute."

She walked along the bank for an hour until something pink in the distance caught her eye. She ran up and scooped it up out of the water before holding it up in the light.

"Oh God," Sedna said in a trembling, fearful voice, her legs taking on that familiar weakness before giving out from underneath. It was Coral's hat. And on that hat was a fresh bloodstain.


	29. Chapter 29

Theme: 17. Blood

Gripping the hat against her breast, Sedna sank down onto the riverbank, the icy cold water gushing around her submerged legs.

She can't have drowned, Sedna thought frantically, Coral's from 4. We're taught to swim before we can even walk! And this river is too shallow. She must have dropped it then. Yeah, that's right. She dropped the hat and hasn't come back for it. Maybe she got into a struggle with something and lost the hat and is too scared to come back for it.

The fight would also explain why there was a bloodstain. Either she got whatever attacked her or she got injured in the struggle. No, don't think that way, Sedna again thought, positive thoughts this time. She's been training for these Games for years. She can easily take on anything in a fight.

But if she got into a fight, then with who? And where was it? Sedna got up and looked around the riverbank. There were no other signs of a struggle besides the bloody hat. If there was a weapon, chances are it got swept away by the current, the bloodstains long since washed away. The more she searched, the more desperate she got. If Coral didn't get into a fight, then what other horrible things could have happened to her here? What if she got injured and is now being swept away by the current, spirited away out of District 4 and to wherever the river took her? What if she got knocked unconscious and was now floating down the river, drowned because she was unable to wake up and save herself in time?

Sedna tried not to think about it. To think about whatever horrors Coral may have encountered or suffered in this very place would only lead to panic. Panic to irrationality. Irrationality to Sedna making what could easily be the biggest mistake in her life.

She looked up at the horizon again, down the river to where Coral must be. The question remained though. Should she venture down the river, with the feeblest hopes that Coral may be alive? Or scrap the search all together and return to District 4 without her old friend?


	30. Chapter 30

Theme: 44. Two Roads

With each passing minute, Sedna felt her heart grow heavier and heavier. She looked up at the horizon. The river seemed to go on for miles, and somewhere out there, Coral was out there.

"What do I do know," Sedna asked herself. Before her were two options. One was to go on searching for Coral, running down the river bank with the faintest hope that she was still out there. The other was to scrap the search all together and return to District 4 with only a bloody hat to show for her trouble.

Both roads offered their pros and cons. To find Coral meant that she wasn't going to give up. She will look for her friend until she is found. But what will happen there? Would Coral have a change of heart and come back to District 4? Or will she insist on never going back to the home that became her own personal hell? And what will Sedna find down the riverbank? Will it be Coral, alive and well? Or will it be her waterlogged body with a shattered skull and a face that only someone who faced an unimaginable terror in her final living moments possess?

But to go back down the opposite direction, to where Nori and Skeezer were waiting, not only meant repaying a promise to come back, but that she was giving up the search. As much as Sedna hated to admit it, Coral Andrews was now a lost cause, and if anyone was going to go out and save her, it was going to be up to her and her alone. Sedna wasn't going to save the day anymore. It was all up to Coral now, if she were to rise to the challenge.

Something wet tricked down the corner of her eye and she swept it away. What to do? What to do? She wracked her brains for an answer, but the only one she could come up with was to go back. Go back to District 4 knowing that Coral was still out there. It was obvious that Coral wouldn't want to go back. Her note made it clear, as well as her expressing her desire to leave. And what good would going back to 4 do for her? Go back to a school where everyone except one loyal friend despised her, back to the ocean where her beloved father died?

As Sedna thought out her options, it became clear that other than a few factors, Coral Andrews never had a good life in District 4. If she had any chance of leaving her past in the hopes of obtaining a new life, it would be in a place far away from where every awful thing that happened to her took place.

Finally, Sedna got up, gripping the pink hat with one hand before stuffing it in her pocket. "I'm so sorry, Corrie," she said softly, "but I think we both know now that you don't want to be found. I know you can't hear me, but please, stay safe. For both our sakes."

And with that same heavy heart and the feeling that she may have just betrayed her best friend by leaving her alone in the wilderness, Sedna walked back up the river bank, to where she began her search. Alone.


	31. Chapter 31

Theme: 43. Dying

Sedna returned to the place where she first started her search for Coral. As she grabbed a hold of the rope, she looked back from where she was and was again reminded that Coral was still out there.

"I'm so sorry," Sedna said again, her voice cracking. Then she looked back up the cliff. "I'm coming right up!" And with that, she began her ascent up the cliff.

When she was twenty feet off the ground, she felt a strange loosening sensation coming from the top of the cliff. Before she knew it, the rope was coming undone from above and she was plummeting down to the valley.

As Sedna fell, she didn't experience a flashback of all the significant moments in her life, as some people claim as they are dying. She didn't think back on the events that led her to falling to her death. Nor did she wonder if anyone will tell her family of her demise and if they will brave the wilderness to find her broken body. Or even how Monica will react when hearing the news that the only rival left was now dead.

Sedna Okpik didn't experience these things because she blacked out before her body landed on the rocks. And if she were conscious, she would have been thankful that her last moments were spent in unassuming bliss. At least then, it would be better than reflecting back on the people she would leave behind and the unfulfilled life she now left behind.

* * *

A/N: I know this is yet another short chapter. On another note, this chapter is best read when listening to "Green Bird" from the Cowboy Bebop OST. That isn't to say I'm an anime fan. I found that song from another video not even relating to Cowboy Bebop (but it involved a character falling to their death anyway). But it still fits with this chapter anyway.


	32. Chapter 32

Theme: 84. Out Cold

Nori felt her blood run cold as she heard that ear-piercing scream. She had been lying by the cliff, in Skeezer's arms, with Corky resting nearby when that scream shattered their blissful silence. It was so loud, even the birds nesting in the trees fled.

"What was that," Skeezer asked, propping himself in a sitting position. Nori sat up, a look of absolute fear on her face.

"Oh shit, Sedna," she shouted, scrambling towards the cliff. She grabbed the rope that was supporting her friend, but as she drew it up, she realized how unnaturally light it felt. And then she saw the frayed end where the rope snapped. With a loud scream of her own, Nori let the rope fall out of her hands before she fell onto her knees. "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God," she mumbled under her breath, her heart racing frantically, her mind going numb with that horrible realization. She felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulders. She pushed it aside. "Just leave me alone, Skeezer," she snapped. She looked up at the boy with two, swollen red eyes that were brimming with tears. "Shit, what am I going to say to her parents?"

Skeezer just leaned over the edge and looked down at the scene below. Fifty feet below, on the rocky river bed, laid the body of their friend, spread-eagles on the rocks. Because of the vast height between them, he was unsure if she was even breathing. And there was no way to get down there because the rope, the line linking the two, had been severed.

With a heavy heart, Skeezer took off his knit watch cap and held it up to his heart, his head bowed in sympathy. For the first time since his father died in a shipwreck over a decade ago, he shed tears for the girl who had been his Nori's best friend. When he looked down again, he saw a sight he thought he would have never seen. With astonishment, he watched as one of Sedna's arms reached up and touched her forehead.

Skeezer, grinning broadly, grabbed Nori's hand. "Nori, you gotta check this out," he said. "Sedna ain't dead!"

"What are you talking about," Nori snapped, "no one could have survived that fall?"

"No, seriously, just look," he said, grabbing Nori by the chin and directing her gaze down at the bottom, where she watched as Sedna, still unconscious, reached up to her brow, before letting her arm fall against the rocky ground. Nori couldn't quite believe what she was seeing, but Skeezer did.

"She ain't dead, she's just unconsious," he exclaimed. "Thank you, higher powers above! Thank you guys so much!"

Nori merely smiled before collapsing onto her back, thankful that her friend was still alive and that she didn't have to be the one delivering the Okpiks' the news that she may have gotten their daughter killed.


	33. Chapter 33

Theme: 7. Heaven

When Sedna came to after who knows how long, she was greeted by grey clouds swarming all over her. And for a moment, she thought she died and went to Heaven.

But then she felt sharp spasms of pain as it radiated from her skull and back as something pointy and jagged dug themselves deeper into her skin. And she realized this couldn't be Heaven. There was too much pain. She either had to be still on earth, or really dead and have gone to Hell.

No, don't be stupid, a little voice in her head chastised, if this were hell, you'd be surrounded by eternal fire.

Then it must be limbo, Sedna thought, if I'm surrounded by grey everywhere. Though wouldn't they take away my pain?

She opened her eyes and as her sight became clearer, it became more evident that she was still lying on the rocky river banks of the ravine, and that she was looking up at the cliff face from where she fell.

But before she could think of anything else, her eyes slipped closed and Sedna drifted off into a black oblivion of sleep where her name echoed through out the darkness.


	34. Chapter 34

Theme: 30. Under the Rain

Sedna came to, once again, as it started to rain. Heavy droplets of water landed on her face, stinging her skin, as she laid out on the riverbed. The pain was still there, albeit lessened with time. Although her head was sore, and a pounding sensation radiated from her skull, she felt that she was alright.

Overhead, a flesh colored pinprick surrounded by a hazy red halo loomed over the cliff edge.

"Sedna," it screamed, "are you alright?"

With a shaking voice and a sore throat, Sedna shouted, "I'm okay! My head hurts, but overall, I'm fine."

She shakily pushed herself up into a sitting position before getting up on two wobbly legs. At first, she stumbled but eventually regained her bearing. Ignoring the painful, pounding sensation in her head, she looked up on the top of the cliff. The redhead was joined by another pinprick. It was hard to discern what they were though. Everything was just so blurry. But something felt familiar about them, and she knew that she could trust them.

"The rope snapped, we tried grabbing on to it, but it was too late," the other pinprick shouted. "There's no way you can get back up here unless you can climb up the rock face."

"I don't think that would be possible," Sedna said, "I hurt all over! There's no way I can climb in this condition! It's too risky."

"You said you hurt allover? Here, take these," the redhead shouted. She tossed a small white bottle over the edge and Sedna caught it. "It's some of my mom's aspirin! Just take two of those and you should be good to go."

Sedna opened the bottle and took out two of the pills before swallowing them whole and chasing it down with a gulp of river water. The water was slightly salty, and she wanted to spit the it out, but forced herself to drink it down anyway. As she finished off the mouthful, she felt sick and wanted to vomit it back up again. As her throat contracted against the disgusting feeling of the water, she felt more pain radiate through her body. But no matter what, she couldn't and wouldn't bring herself to vomit back up the pills. No, you need those to feel better, she reminded herself.

Unsure of what to do next, Sedna looked around before noticing the watery blue horizon just down the opposite end of the river. Thinking back to the salty river water, an idea dawned on her.

"Guys, I think this river connects with the ocean," Sedna shouted. "I'm going to go down the river to where it meets the sea. Chances are, there might be a beach. We should meet up there!"

"Are you sure," the redhead shouted.

"Positive. All rivers lead to the sea, right? And the water here is salty. That means it has to connect with the ocean. I'm gonna try anyway. Just follow down the cliff and we'll meet up!"

After a long silence, the redhead spoke up once more, "if you're positive, then yeah, we'll meet up at the beach. Just stay safe, Sedna! It's raining now. And it looks like there might be a storm brewing."

"I will," Sedna shouted, and with that, she took off down the river, to where it met with the sea. Meanwhile, the rain continued to fall. As she walked through the valley, she prayed that the storm wouldn't hit until she at least made it to the beach.


	35. Chapter 35

Theme: 59. No Way Out

Once, a long time ago, Sedna heard about an old adage that went, "what can go wrong, will go wrong."

She first heard of it as a girl of six, as she was overhearing her father and a family friend who was also a fisherman sat at the kitchen table, talking about an upcoming excursion. Although she could only catch bits of the conversation, she learned that several men who were sighed up for the fishing trip had to drop out and that if one more crewman bailed, they would have to cancel.

"Captain Fishbin better cancel," Mr. Okpik said to his friend, "I'm getting a bad feeling about all the drop outs. And it's not just the men who are dropping out. All the cats are avoiding the boat too."

"Aye," his friend agreed, taking a deep swig from his beer bottle, "but what can we do about it? All the decisions are up to him? And we can't bail because we both need the money."

"I know," Mr. Okpik said, running his chapped hands through his black hair, "but with all that's been going wrong, I can't help but think that worse will happen. It's like what my grandfather once said. 'What can go wrong, will go wrong.'"

And Mr. Okpik proved to be right. Just days after the Santa Catalina fishing vessel took off from port, radio operators stationed by the shore received a distress call from the boat, which ran aground a hundred miles south from where it departed. Although all the men survived, they were now stranded in a remote, southern part of the District and needed rescue. It would another two weeks before Mr. Okpik returned to a family that was deeply worried for his safety.

Sedna felt the same way now as her father had all those years ago. It felt like today was a succession of events that was getting progressively worse. First Coral went missing, then she ventured past the electric fence into what was designated as an official 'forbidden zone', then she found Coral's bloody cap, had to call off the search, almost died trying to scale the cliff, and now she was stuck in a ravine with no way out.

It was the ravine that irked her. While Sedna had seen her fair share of nightmare landscapes courtesy of Hunger Games reruns, never had she encountered a more terrifying place. The ravine was bordered by those two cliffs that seemed to close in on her, keeping the land in shadow. As the rainfall continued, the river began to swell and overflow, the water's rising up to her ankles as she made her way through the valley.

But what made it worse wasn't the cliffs. Nor was it the constant rainfall and the overflowing river. It was the feeling of monotony that the ravine posed. No matter how far she walked, it felt like the ravine could go on for miles. The faint, blue blur of what was hopefully an ocean remained just that. Never getting closer to actual clarity no matter how far she walked.

As she continued walking, Sedna kept her eyes peeled for any other possible way out of the ravine but found none. As much as she wanted to just stop and panic, part of her also reminded her that there might be a Hunger Games where she is placed in this situation. Where she finds herself trapped in a confined space where there was no way out except to go forward.

"If this were the actual Games, and you were panicking, you would get killed," that voice in her head nastily reminded her. And with that, Sedna just nodded in agreement and continued walking towards that blurry horizon with the vaguest hope that it would lead her out to sea.


	36. Chapter 36

96. In the Storm

The rain continued to fall an an unmerciful rate. It soon developed into a heavy downpour that flooded the river until the entire bank was swallowed up by the water that was now gushing around Sedna's shins. She shivered and wrapped her jacket closely around her, praying that if Coral was still by the river, that she had managed to find higher ground and avoid the oncoming tide.

Sedna looked up at the sky and realized that it had gone darker in the hours that she had been trapped in the ravine. Although she could still make out where she was going, she knew that it will be a matter of time before the ravine was consumed in darkness. She slipped off her pack and began digging through it for the flashlight she had taken, letting out a groan of frustration as she pulled out the now-broken flashlight. The plastic tube was cracked down the middle, and the lens and light bulb smashed, scattering bits of broken glass everywhere inside.

"Dang it," Sedna snarled, stuffing the broken flashlight back into the bag before drawing it closed and slinging it around her back. It was now even more imperative that she get out of the ravine as soon as possible.

The storm began to pick up even more, as Sedna cursed Mother Nature for inflicting it upon her. The wind speed had increased, and twice it knocked her down into the water. Each time she struggled to get up, managing to support herself on the rocky wall of the cliff, before propelling herself forward.

As she made her way against the current of the river, that was now at her knees, Sedna asked herself what would happen if the flood waters continued to rise at it's current rate. At five feet, Sedna was one of the shortest girls at the Career Academy, a trait usually considered to be a disadvantage. She couldn't run as fast as the taller girls, she had difficulty reaching for high things with her frame, and people assumed that because she was so small, that she was weaker that most tributes. There was also the fact that no tribute who shorter than 5'4", the height of the shortest known Victor, had ever won the Hunger Games.

Sedna pushed the thought of how being short meant being at a disadvantage. Now isn't the time to be thinking about this, she reminded herself as she waded through the knee-high water. Its negative thoughts like this that will get me killed in the Arena. Moreover, there have been tributes who were her height who have made it to the Final Two. They were just unlucky enough to square off against a Career or a Mutt.

Meanwhile the storm didn't let up. It still continued the torrential downpour that obscured Sedna's vision and made travelling through the ravine much more difficult. Yet, something inside, a sense of drive, wouldn't let her give up. She had to get to the coast. If the waters got too high, then she would have to swim to get there. It didn't matter how bad the journey was going to get, she was determined to reach the coast and find Nori and Skeezer.

Now just wasn't the time to be dwelling on anything else but figuring out how to get out of the ravine and survive the storm.


	37. Chapter 37

25. Trouble Lurking

A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, momentarily basking the ravine in a bright light before going one once more, followed by the deep, rumbling boom of thunder. Sedna gripped a bare tree root, clinging to it for dear life as she surveyed the scene ahead of her. All she could make out in the darkness was more water rushing through the narrow canyon. There was no way to tell how far she had to go until she reached the coast, but she feverishly prayed that it was close. With the oncoming tides, she had no idea if she would even live to see the sea.

The freezing cold air caused her to shake violently, her body now wracked in pain from when she fell onto the rocks in that climbing mishap. The pain in her head sharpened, invoking the feeling that a thousand needles were being penetrated ever so deeply into her brain. Because of the pain, she couldn't think straight anymore. Everything was a blur of sound and dull, dark colors to her.

Sedna reached into her pack and drew out the little bottle of pills, popping a couple into her mouth before an large wave crashed over her, causing the bottle to slip out of her hand.

The murky, greyish green waters subsided, leaving her clinging to the root, her mouth opening and closing like that of a beached bass, her heart pounding against her ribcage at a furious rate. She wasn't even sure if the pills managed to find a way down her throat or if it too got washed away with the bottle. The pain in her head and in her back remained, further aggravated by the harsh conditions of the ravine.

A strange whistling sound passed by her ears, and for a fleeting moment, in that concussed, hazy mind of hers, Sedna vaguely wondered if she was alone in the ravine. Or if she was sharing it with some sort of predator. A howling sound echoed through the gorge, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if it was a wind, or if there was a wolf nearby, waiting to pounce.

Reaching down into the water, she retrieved a sharp, heavy rock. It wasn't much, but having a primitive weapon like a rock was better than no weapon. Moreover, she thought, didn't someone win a Hunger Games using only a rock as a weapon? A puny runt of a kid from District 10 named David, who took down the giant from District 2 with only a couple of stones and a slingshot he retrieved from the Cornucopia.

Clutching the rock, the only means of defending herself against whatever shadowy threats lurked inside the ravine, Sedna moved forward, keeping her senses peeled for that invisible threat that was waiting to take her down. But with her foggy mind, she wasn't sure if there were any real threats or if her mind was playing a cruel and sick joke on her.


	38. Chapter 38

Theme: 91. Drowning

She didn't see the wave that finally dragged her under.

One moment, Sedna was struggling against a waist-high current in the dark canyon, the only though registering to her was to keep moving forward. Going forward meant a shot at survival while going back meant a certain death. Her body was bruised and battered and she felt excruciating pain everywhere. The freezing cold weather only serving to add to her torment. Her mind was weary and she wanted nothing more than to get out of the Hell that she found herself in, but she also knew that if she were to succumb to her weakness, then it would be a surrender to death.

Sedna kept fighting against the current, against the storm, against the weakness not because she was strong. Although her friends had said she was strong, she didn't believe it. No, Sedna fought because she didn't want to die. She didn't want her battered remains to wash up on the shores of District 4 to be found by the people she had known her entire life. She didn't want them to think that she had killed herself out of grief for Coral's disappearance. She didn't want Nori and Skeezer to spend the rest of their lives believing that they had a hand in her death. Or have her family live out the rest of their days wondering what had happened to their daughter and sister to lead her to this end. Nor did she want Monica to beam with the satisfaction of knowing that there was no one left to stand in her way of achieving her personal glory.

And then she felt something heavy crash into her, dragging her under the dark and murky water. After several disorienting moments, Sedna opened her eyes to a watery world shrouded in green weeds and mossy rocks. Grains of sand swirling around from the turbulence scratched at her eyes, and she shut them tight in the vain hopes of protecting them. Instead she was met with a fiery pain that consumed her eyes, and by instinct, she began to rub at them, only to fan the flames of her torment. A powerful current knocked her back and she felt something heavy smash into her skull. By some miracle, she didn't succumb to unconsciousness, she didn't feel herself becoming limp. Instead, she tried to shake off the pain and began moving in what she thought was forward. She found herself doing her damnest to fight against that same current, to try and swim up the river like a salmon.

After what felt like an eternity fighting against the current, she felt the waters receding around her. Sedna opened her aching eyes, but shut them again out of pain. Something heavy, like a log, knocked at the back of her knees, causing her to buckle and collapse into the water, where she found herself being dragged along the current. She struggled to keep her head afloat, gasping for air as the river water took her along for the ride, unsure of where it was taking her but praying that it would be out to sea and not down the canyon.

Finally, Sedna managed to open her eyes and found herself looking up at an open, starry sky, but not before being met by another dark and threatening wave that toppled over her, dragged her underneath the water once more. Foolishly, she opened her mouth but was met by the unpleasant taste of salt water as it gushed down her throat and lungs. Coughing and sputtering, her head breached the surface, and she gasped for mouthfuls of sweet, salty ocean air. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, the flames getting more intense with each breath she took. All her sore eyes could register was the darkness around her, but she was sure she wasn't dead. If I can feel pain, then I must still be alive, Sedna reasoned, and she ignored the pain in her arms and began paddling through the icy waters. To her left was a low bank of mossy green rocks.

It took Sedna a moment to realize that it was just the bank of rocks she was looking at and not just the cliff walls that had previously imprisoned her. She began swimming towards the rocks, only to be dragged back by the waves.

No, no, no, she screamed to herself, struggling against the waves to reach the rocks. But then, the waves swelled and crashed to the shore, dashing her against the sharp, rough surface, where they receded, leaving her lying on her back, coughing up salt water and struggling to open her eyes.

When she managed to force them open, Sedna was greeted by a gentle rain fall and a full moon partially obscured by a thin haze of clouds. For the first time in her life, she had never felt more thankful to be surrounded by a wide open space.

It didn't matter if it felt like every fiber of her being was set aflame. She was alive, and hopefully out of that nightmare of a canyon.

Before she slipped under, Sedna heard a girl's voice calling out against the storm. "Sedna! Sedna!"

And then she slipped her eyes closed.


	39. Chapter 39

Theme: 82. Can you hear me?

"Sedna? Seddie?"

Something soft patted itself against her cheek. It wasn't a harsh touch. No. It was warm and loving and comforting. Like a mother's touch. Sedna wanted to reach up and touch the comforting hand, but she found herself unable to move her arms. Or open her eyes for that matter.

"You think she's still out of it," a new voice, a male's voice, asked from somewhere above this darkness she found herself in.

"I hope not," the other voice, a girl's voice, a familiar voice, rang. "Sedna? If you can hear me, if you're still alive, give me a sign, alright. It can be anything. Just anything will do."

Sedna didn't respond. She didn't want to move any part of her body. It was painful just lying still on the rocky surface she was sprawled out on. Imagine how bad it would be to try and move her arms. Suddenly, something cold and wet began grazing at her face, leaving a slimy trail in its wake.

"Eww. Skeezer, get your dog off of her," the girls' voice shouted.

"Ah, crap. Come here girl... c'mon pretty girl. I don't think Sedna wants to wake up to you slobberin' all over her," the voice belonging to the boy called Skeezer said.

Unconsciously, Sedna began to crack a small smile, a chortle escaping her lips. Someone let out a shriek of excitement overhead.

"Skeez, get over here! She smiled! She freaking smiled!"

"Well hot damn. Would you look at that?"

Sedna felt her eyelids flutter open, and then close again from the bright, silvery light overhead.

"It's alright, Seddie. Please open your eyes," the girl said. The soft, warm touch returned, and Sedna pressed her cheek against it, savoring the warmth. "Please wake up. Your mom will kill me if you die on me."

Finally, after what felt like forever, Sedna opened her eyes again and was met by two faces looming over head. One belonged to a boy with tan skin and feathery blonde hair with a scrubby growth of facial hair to match. The other belonged to a freckle-faced girl, with big, worried brown eyes, and long red hair that hung down her face and shoulders in fat, matted coils.

"Oh, thank Poseidon," the redhead exclaimed. "Don't worry, Sedna. We'll get you out of here."

She felt a pair of arms slide underneath her knees and her shoulders, lifting her up into the air. Something rough and scratchy tickled her brow, but she couldn't bring herself to push her self away from it. Her arms still felt heavy and limp. And before she knew it, she was sliding her eyes shut, resting her head against the shoulder of the boy carrying her out of that chasm of Hell that had sough to kill her.


	40. Chapter 40

Theme: 83. Heal

When Sedna came to, once again, she found herself lying on her back, staring up at a rusted, metal ceiling. Like before, her body was wracked in excruciating pain, and she let out a groan as she struggled to sit up.

"Hold it there, you shouldn't be getting up so soon," the same girl's voice from before rang out. The comforting hands pushed her back onto the ground. "You took a hell of a beating out there."

Sedna blinked, and as she did, the face looming overhead became more clearer and sharper. It was the redhead from before. She hovered overhead, with a concerned expression on her face. "How are you feeling," she asked in a soft tone.

"I like I just went through Hell and back," Sedna answered, wincing as she spoke. Her throat felt dry and scratchy, the vocal cords becoming inflamed as she talked. It was as if she continued speaking, her voice box might catch on fire from the friction. "Can I have some water?"

"Sure," Nori said. Then she dug through her pack for a water bottle. When she fished out a canteen, she uncapped it and handed it to Sedna, who took a big gulp of the icy cold liquid. Almost instantaneously, the water soothed her parched throat, and she let out a moan of relief as she continued drinking until Nori took the canteen away. "Not too much. I don't you puking it back up."

As Nori capped the canteen and replaced it in her pack, Sedna asked, "how long have I been out."

"A few hours," Nori said, "it's still night out. Dunno what time it is though. There's still a storm out though. We aren't gonna leave until morning. That is, if you're up to it."

So it is, Sedna thought. She could hear the high pitched whistling of the wind outside, accompanied by the steady rhythm of rain water as it plummeted against the metal roof and old, glass windows of their temporary shelter. The chaos of sound made her head throb in pain, and she asked, "you got anything for the pain? I lost the bottle of pills you gave me. A wave washed it away."

Nori searched through her pack. "Sorry," she said, "I haven't got anything else for it."

"I do," a male's voice rang out. Sedna looked to her left to see Skeezer, holding a small, white object between his fingers, sitting on the bottom steps of a circular, metal staircase. Corky lay at his feet, fast asleep. He got up, walked towards the girls, and sat down in front of Sedna. "Try smoking this," Skeezer said, pressing the white, rolled up object between her fingers. "It's not much, but it'll help dull the pain."

"What is it," Sedna asked.

Skeezer gave her a sheepish smile. "Let's just say this is courtesy of my personal apothecary."

Sedna held the rolled up, improved cigarette between her lips, and took a puff before drawing it away from her. A pungent, foul stink invaded her lungs, causing her to cough and sputter. Even when she pushed the roll back into Skeezer's hands, that nasty odor still lingered in the air, reminding her of the time Arnook got sprayed by a skunk that had been hiding out under their house.

"For the love of... what was that," Sedna gasped, occasionally breaking out into coughing fits that sent more spasms through her bruised ribs. "it smells like a skunk crawled into your herb patch and died there."

"Shit... sorry," Skeezer apologized, "maybe it wasn't a good idea to give you this stuff. I didn't realize you'd react so badly to it. But are you feeling any better? Cause the smoke's supposed to help, according to my mom."

"My ribs hurt, and my nose itches from the smoke," Sedna said, falling onto her back, staring up at the metal ceiling. "My head hurts too. What happened after you found me?"

"Well," Nori began, "we found you out on the rocks just after the sun went down. We got to the coast hours before you did, so we spent that time waiting for you. And when we next saw you, the waves washed you up on the rocks. But you were totally out of it. I mean... you were still breathing, but you were knocked out. So we tried waking you up, just to see if you were really alive and just not in some sort of coma, and brought you to this old lighthouse we found up the coast."

"And you weren't looking too good," Skeezer added, "from the looks of things, you bashed your head up really badly. There was blood coming down your face, but we bandaged it up so it should be all good now. Um... you got a cracked rib. And you have an crapload of bruises all over you. You can't see it now, but when you get home, don't be surprised when you look all black and blue. Believe me, I haven't seen a guy that battered up by Mother Nature since my buddy Reef tried surfing during a winter storm. And the next time we saw the ole' sonovabitch was when he washed up on the jetty the next morning looking like he had the biggest beating in his life! How he is still alive, I don't know. Maybe Mother Nature wanted him to learn from his stupidity."

Sedna rolled to one side, ignoring the pain scattered through out her body. Nori took Sedna's jacket, which had been hanging from the rails of the staircase, and draped it over her aching body. "You should go to sleep now," she said to her injured friend, "just heal up. We're going back to District 4 in the morning."

With that, Sedna closed her eyes. For the rest of the night, she dreamed of being thrown around in violently turbulent waters choked with sand and stones that burned her skin and left blackened bruises where they struck, unable to fight against the current that wanted to take her where it was going.


	41. Chapter 41

Theme: 18. Rainbow

Sedna woke up later that morning to a blindingly bright room. She shut her eyes for a moment, only daring to slowly open them so that they may adjust to the light. When she was finally awake, she laid in silence for a long while, taking in her surroundings. She was laid up against a wall, with her head resting on her ditty bag, with a coat thrown over her, like a blanket. The room itself was a small, circular space, with peeling walls plastered in mold and mildew in the cracks. It stunk of rot, but after being in the room for the night, the smell barely registered to her anymore.

One side of the wall was encased in dirty, broken glass windows arranged in a grid. Through this filthy glass, she could see two shapes sitting out on the balcony, facing each other. Sedna began to sit up before getting up on her feet. She let out a sharp hiss as she forced herself onto her stiff joints, her body protesting from the movement. With two shaking feet, she walked towards the windows, pushing aside the door and stepping outside.

Nori, who was sitting on the balcony floor, looked up and smiled. "Look whose finally awake." She reached into her bag and pulled out an apple. "Breakfast?"

"Yes, please," Sedna said, taking the apple. Leaning against the rusty railing, she bit into it, savoring the juicy, tart taste of the green apple. As she finished off the apple with relish, she asked, "what time is it?"

"About mid-morning," Skeezer said. He opened up a pack of tuna jerky and was sharing the strips of red meat with Corky, who lay by his side, gnawing on the food her master offered.

"We should be getting back to District 4 then," Sedna sighed. As much as it hurt her to return without Coral, she also knew that finding her would be hopeless now. Coral was gone forever, having disappeared in that same canyon where she almost lost her life. There was no way she was going to be able to go back and find her now. All she could do was pray that Coral wouldn't get caught. That maybe she'll find a new home in another District and hopefully build a happier life there that she couldn't have in 4.

As Sedna looked up, she caught her reflection in the dirty glass before her. Bruises and lumps marred her face. Her bottom lip was split open and there was a wide, white bandage that circled her head. She could only guess that the rest of her looked as bad.

"That bad," Sedna asked, still gazing at her reflection.

"It was a lot worse when we found you," Nori said. "You don't want to know. But at least the bruises are subsiding."

Sedna reached up and touched her cheek, wincing at the discomfort of her touch against the battered skin. There was no way validate Nori's claim. It still hurt as much as when she first received it. Sighing, she turned around and began looking out over the balcony.

Wherever they were, it was situated along the rocky coast, looking out onto the wide expanse of ocean. Little white boats were bobbing up and down in the waves up ahead. It was sunny out, and there was not a cloud in the clear blue sky.

"Good," Sedna mumbled, "I don't want to see clouds again for a very long time."

"Hey, look over there," Nori said, pointing out to a particular patch of sky. Sedna and Skeezer followed her point up, where they saw a rainbow spanning the expanse of sky.

"Well, would you look at that," Skeezer said, looking up at the sky. "Corky girl, you seein' this?"

Sedna leaned up against the rail, arching her head up as high as possible, mouth slightly agape. While she had seen many rainbows in her lifetime, this one felt special. It was as if she had been afraid she would never see such a beautiful thing again, and now that she did, she wanted to enjoy it as much as possible, fearing that such an opportunity will never come again.

"It's beautiful," Sedna said, gazing up at the rainbow.

"Yeah, I think you nearly dying has something to do with it," Skeezer said. "You don't really appreciate things before hand, but when you have a near death experience, you start to. You start to appreciate all the little things in life after you nearly lose it."

Sedna smiled at Skeezer even though it hurt to do so. "My mom had a saying like that. Or, her grandma had a saying like that," Sedna said, "she says that my grandma once said that you only live twice. Once when you are born. And again when you have looked death in the face."

"Smart lady," Nori remarked as she stroked Corky's head. "It's obvious now that you are living twice. If I were you, I'd start cherishing this new life. There has to be a good reason why you managed to survive in that canyon. Maybe some higher authority wants you for something better."

"Yeah, maybe," Sedna agreed. In her head, she was starting to realize that. Why was she spared? The more she thought about it, the more she came to one conclusion. The sooner she got back to District 4, the better so that she could enact this plan.


	42. Chapter 42

Theme: 38. Abandoned

After sharing a lunch of leftover tuna jerky, apples, and cracker crumbs, Sedna, Nori, and Skeezer packed up their belongings and began making the return trip to District 4. They walked through the dank and moldy interior of their shelter, where Skeezer pushed aside a heavy, rusted metal door and led them outside to a rocky peninsula surrounded by water by all sides, save for a narrow bridge of land connecting the peninsula, up a cliff, and to solid land above.

As Sedna walked out, she looked to her left and saw a crumbling stone foundation, indicating that there was once another building. Then she looked up behind her and realized that they had stayed the night in an abandoned lighthouse. This lighthouse looked nothing like the austere, towering steel structure based in the District 4 bay. This lighthouse was only three stories high, with an upper floor completely surrounded by glass windows, and two metal balconies welded to the upper and middle floors. The conical red roof was missing most of its titles. The walls covered with peeling, dirty white paint and scraggly weeds trying to climb up the surface. Rust stained dripped down and stained the walls. The overall look of the building invoked an air of neglect, as if it had been years since someone had actually cared for the place.

"And this is outside of 4," Sedna asked, turning back to Skeezer and Nori, who were nearing a cracked, concrete sidewalk that linked the peninsula to the mainland.

"Pretty much," Nori said, turning around and ascending the walkway. Skeezer took Corky by the collar and led her up away from the lighthouse, leaving Sedna to trail behind. She gripped her bag by the strap and began walking through the rocky path. Meanwhile, Nori had stopped in the middle of the path and was crouching by one of the larger boulders, brushing something off the surface with one hand.

"Hey guys, check this out," she called out. Skeezer, Corky, and Sedna walked up to her side. Nori pointed to a rusted plaque bolted to the boulder. Parts of the metal surface had long since oxidized, turning the metal from a rusty brown to a bright teal.

"San Romero Light Station," Sedna read aloud, reaching out and brushing the raised words with her fingers. "Built 1870. Has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior."

"Holy shit, this place is freaking ancient," Skeezer exclaimed, "it's been here since before the Dark Days."

"The United States," Nori mused, "that must have been the place that existed before Panem came to be."

"If that be the case, how did this location avoid all the flooding," Sedna asked.

"Beats me," Skeezer said. "I think the better question is how this building is still around after a couple hundred years."

"Who knows," Nori said, "but isn't it remarkable that we found a place that existed before Panem? I thought all the buildings and stuff from before got destroyed in those disasters."

"Yeah," Sedna agreed. On that note, the group continued walking up the concrete path to the cliff. When they reached the top, they turned back to the lighthouse situated on the rocky peninsula below, looking more and more like a rusted, abandoned child's toy the farther they were from it. Then they continued onwards, leaving the lighthouse behind.

* * *

A/N: The San Romero Light Station is completely made up. However, I did base it on an actual place called the Point Reyes Lighthouse, which is located north of San Francisco. I made up the lighthouse because I wanted them to stay in a place that had existed before Panem, to use up one of my themes, and because Point Reyes is too far south from where this story is set in.

But yeah, filler chapter is filler chapter.


	43. Chapter 43

89. Through the Fire

"Sedna, do you need to sit down," Nori called out, turned back to see her friend lagging behind. Sedna looked up. Sweat dripped down from her brow, causing stray bits of hair to cling to her face and causing her shirt to cling uncomfortably to her back and underarms. Jolts of fire ran up and down her legs. She shook her head.

"I'm fine, I don't need to rest," Sedna said. "Besides, we just took a break."

"Are you sure?"  
"Positive."

"Ok, but if you feel like you need to rest, just let us know and we'll stop," Nori said.

As if I need one, Sedna thought, I feel like I can just keep going now.

After the events of yesterday, walking through the woods for three hours, from the lighthouse back to the fence, was nothing. Yes, she still hurt all over, but if she could survive trudging through a rocky canyon that was quickly filling up with water during a storm, then she could survive anything. She had seen similar situations play out in previous Hunger Games. There have been Victors who only made it because they were the sole survivors of a rock slide or an avalanche or a flood. The flood in the gorge could easily have been a disaster from the Games.

If I can survive the flood, then I can survive anything, Sedna thought. Even the Hunger Games.

And with that in mind, she trudged forward, marching through the untamed wild and walking past Nori and Skeezer and Corky until she was leading the pack.

"Damn," Skeezer wheezed, one hand planted on a stitch in his side while the other gripped Corky's leash, "for someone who almost had a chance to meet her maker, you're doing better than well. It's like your made out of iron... an iron man ... wait, no... iron girl! Yeah, that's right. You're an Iron Girl!"

"It's nothing," Sedna brushed off, her face tinged with a deep red blush from Skeezer's compliment.

"That's not nothing," Nori said, "you're acting as if you didn't just get thrashed to an inch of your life. At least take it easy. I don't want to see you hurt yourself again."

"Fine, but only for you, Nori," Sedna said. She slowed her pace and allowed her friends to catch up with her. When they were reassembled into a group, they began hiking back to the fence, never slowing down or speeding up lest the group be split up. If someone (either Skeezer or Nori) was lagging, they stopped and rested before moving on.

Sedna wished that the group would go faster. As she was walking, a thought came to her. It wasn't much, but it sounded so perfect in her head that she had to enact it.

After all, she had trudged to Hell and back and was able to tell the tale. She knew now that she was a survivor. The ability to live through a near death experience in a remote, flooded canyon with no real hope of rescue was a testament to the fact.

And if Sedna could survive the perils of the canyon, then she had a chance of surviving the Hunger Games. No other tribute would have the first hand experience she had. And if she won the Games, not only would it accomplish a goal that should have gone to Coral, it will deprive Monica of the one thing she did not deserve.

Sedna knew that by returning to District 4, she will be facing Monica's specially crafted version of Hell for her. She was going to be bullied so badly. She was going to face abuse from her while the Academy staff turned a blind eye. She might even get injured in the process. But as far as she was concerned, Monica was going to be nothing compared to the canyon. After all, rocks hurt more than words.

Sedna Okpik had ventured through the fire and survived. A return trip wouldn't be so bad if it meant a way to exact her revenge against Monica Davenport.


	44. Chapter 44

Theme: 24. No Time

It was mid-afternoon by the time Sedna, Nori, Skeezer, and Corky reached the electric fence that bordered District 4. Like the day before, the fence wasn't buzzing with volts upon volts of electricity Or as Skeezer said, it was "safe and silent". One by one, they slipped through gaps in the fence and began the trip back into the Breck.

After another hour of walking, they made it back into civilization. Skeezer was the first to go. He waved his goodbyes to Sedna and Nori before leading Corky down the path that led to his home, leaving the girls on their own.

When the passed Sedna's house, Sedna began running down the path that led to the main part of 4, in the direction of the Academy

"Where do you think you're going," Nori called out, "you don't live down there. You live back here!"

"I have something I need to take care of," Sedna shouted, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

She took off down the road. As it was nearing nightfall, most of the residents who called the Breck home were returning to the neighborhood after a day spent in town or at the beach. Those who caught sight of Sedna, battered and bruised with a bandage wrapped around her head, stared at her as she ran.

"The fuck happened to your face," Erica from down the street called out as she pushed a wagon full of books up the hill. "No, wait... knowing what you did, you were fucking begging for it!"

"Your parents have been looking for you," numerous neighbors shouted, "you do even realize how much trouble you're in?"

"Where were you," Mrs. Cresta from next door asked as she and Annie were walking up from the beach, fishing poles in hand. "Your mother couldn't stop crying last night. She spent all night calling out for you."

"Your father and brother went out into the storm looking for you," Mr. Torrance yelled from his front lawn, "I hope you're happy knowing that you almost got them killed!"

"What the hell were you thinking, sailing out into a storm like that," chimed the Cullen triplets, Siobhan, Saoirse, and Sinead. "That's a death wish waiting to happen!"

"You're so gonna get grounded when you get back," Aran, Nori's brother and Arnook's best friend, shouted.

Yet, Sedna continued down the road, past the marketplace, which was beginning to close down for the day, and to the vast, red-brick building of the Career Academy. By the time she reached the Academy, her body was still in pain after being forced back into more physical activity, but she fought to push the thought of it aside. Now wasn't the time to stop and rest. Now was the time to enact her little plan. Resting will just have to wait until she got back from home.

Sedna pushed aside the front doors open and walked down the deserted hallways to the training center. The center was mostly empty, save for two attendants and one of kids who lived at the Academy full time. The trainee, a red-haired boy of fourteen, was practicing with a trident, spearing his dummy over and over again while his attendant monitored his progress. The other attendant, a young man with dark skin, coarse black hair, and a clad in the Academy staff's uniform blue and white tracksuit, watched from the bleachers.

"Thank goodness he's here," Sedna thought as she walked up to the idle attendant. She was hoping he would be here. He was just the person she wanted to meet with.

Hosea Sanchez had been working at the Academy for five years after training there as a student. Although he didn't get a chance to volunteer for the Hunger Games, losing out to a boy who would get killed before he reached the Final 8, he was kept on as a trainer for future Careers. Sedna had seen him demonstrating his weapons prowess to the trainees over the years. He could skewer a dummy with a spear in five seconds flat and get throwing knives embedded in the heads of ten moving targets. He could take down anyone in wrestling with ease and he had memorized every edible known plant.

But the most important reason why she wanted to see Hosea was because he was the one who believed in Coral the most. He was the knife station attendant who boasted that no tribute stood a chance against her. Although he was hard on the other tributes, he had nothing but praise for Coral. In the days following Mr. Andrews' death, he was the one telling Coral that if she needed someone to talk to, he was her guy. Even in the hallways, Sedna overheard Hosea talking about Coral and how great she was. Maybe, she thought, if Hosea knew what had been going on, he would want to train me so I can win the Games for Coral.

Hosea, looking sullen and downcast, didn't notice her arriving, instead watching as the boy practiced with the trident. Nor did he acknowledge her as she sat down next to him.

"Hey, Hosea," Sedna greeted him. Hosea turned to find the girl sitting by his side. His green eyes widened when he caught side of her face and the bandage around her head.

"Sedna, what happened to you," he gasped. "You look terrible."

"I'm fine," she lied. "Hosea, I need to ask you something."

"Not until you tell me what happened to you," he said, "I haven't seen a kid this badly knackered up since Murdann volunteered. And believe me, all the stuff Murdann did is nothing compared to those." He gestured to the darkened bruises and welts that marred her skin.

"It's a really long story," Sedna said before cutting to the chase, "I need someone to train me outside of school hours."

"What for? We have those training periods set aside so you guys can train for the games," Hosea pointed out.

"I know. But I need to start training in private. I can't let anyone else in on what I plan on doing," Sedna said.

"And what would that be," Hosea asked in a confused tone.

"I know this may sound hasty, considering what has happened in the past few days," Sedna began, "but I am going to volunteer for the 61st Hunger Games. And I need to train so that I may have a shot at winning."

"What for," Hosea asked. "Since you're already a trainee, isn't that what you already want?"

"You don't understand," Sedna explained, her voice taking on an almost pleading tone, "Monica's been getting the scholarship girls to quit the Academy for years. Coral is just the latest casualty, and now that she's gone, Monica will be working to get me to quit just so no one will stand in her way of volunteering. And I can't let her volunteer, not with the way she's been treating the others. I need to get better at training so that I can stand a chance in the Arena."

"Then just volunteer, you're a decent enough trainee to do it," Hosea said.

Sedna let out a sigh of frustration. "You don't understand. Monica's been targeting only scholarship students so that she can volunteer, unhindered. I need to end Monica's dream of being a Victor just as how she ended Dana's and Nettie's and Coral's dreams of being a Victor. If I'm going to be the one standing in her way, then I need to be the one who will stay put."

"But how do you know it'll work," Hosea questioned, staring Sedna down with an incredulous look in his eye.

"I don't," she admitted. Hosea grunted. "But even if I die, I want to die outliving the Careers. That way, if Monica ends up volunteering the next year, and she does badly, then people will be able to say, 'Gosh! Monica is freaking terrible compared to our last tribute! Sedna managed to outlive everyone while Monica became a bloodbath casualty!' I'll show everyone that a fisherman's daughter is better than a Victor's kid. And in the best case scenario, if I do win, then I can claim the Victory that she didn't deserve. And I can avenge Coral by obtaining the one thing she should have earned that Monica took away from her. I will admit, it's a little confusing. But the gist of it is that Monica took away Coral's chance at being in the Hunger Games. If no one is going to stop her, then I need to be the one who will. I need to prove that I am better than her, either by outliving her when she does end up in the Games or by winning. Do you understand me now."

Hosea just looked at her. At first, he looked confused, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. He had known that Coral was being harassed by Monica. After all, he had seen the way she glared at Coral every time she was up to use the knife throwing station. He may have trained as a Career and he may have been the son of the district drunk, but he wasn't dumb. He could easily put two and two together and realize that Monica was tormenting Coral in the months leading up to her disappearance. Then he cracked a smile. "Alright then, Okpik," he said, "I think I can figure out a way to help you. But you need to give me a night. What time do you normally go home?"

"After six thirty, usually," Sedna said, "after dinner."

"Ok, then after dinner, but before you leave, meet me back here, in these same bleachers, and we'll figure out something. Do we have a deal?"

Sedna nodded her head. "Yeah. We have a deal."

"Good." Hosea extended a callused hand and Sedna took it, gripping it as tightly as possible, and shook on it. She got up from the bleachers and began leaving the training center. The red haired boy had stopped practicing. He was now helping his attendant pick up the disassembled pieces of the training dummy off the floor and reassembling it before she took it back to storage. "And another thing."

"Yeah?"

"Take good care of yourself, you can't go into the Arena looking like you just got pummeled by a bigger tribute," Hosea called out. "While it looks like you can hold your own in a fight, you're more likely to get more sponsors if you're pretty."

"Thanks... I'll remember that," Sedna called out before leaving the training center. He actually thought I got into a fight, she asked herself, well, if that be the case, then it's better for him to think I am more of a fighter so he'd want to train me more.


	45. Chapter 45

Theme: 92. All That I Have

Night fell just as Sedna was returning to the Breck. Although most of the residents had long since returned home, some had decided to take advantage of the warm evening and enjoy it. Neighbors were having dinner on their porches or congregating by their front gates and chatting while their children played at their feet. When she passed by their houses, the neighbors either stopped and glared at her or ignored her completely.

Now that she wasn't so distracted by her plans to upstage Monica, Sedna took notice of her neighbor's cold behavior. "It couldn't have been that bad, was it," she asked herself when she walked by the Torrance's house. Mr. and Mrs. Torrance, like the others, frowned at the girl while their two sons abandoned their card game and gave her the stink-eye. She was only gone for two days, and she left a note. Surely her family wouldn't have cared as long as she "told" them where she was "at", even if it was a total lie.

Sedna stopped and froze. Was the storm really that bad, she asked. She turned and looked around the neighborhood. It looked the same as when she left it. Maybe there were a couple of planters missing and some flowerbeds were flooded. There were palm fronds still up on some of the roofs, a couple of which were missing tiles. But over all, it still looked the same. At least, the Breck looked the same to her.

It wasn't like the winter storm from four years ago, in which half of the Breck was flooded and several homes were knocked down by the gale-force winds. Now that was a storm, something everyone in the community could worry about. Not whatever they had the night before. And although Sedna had received the biggest thrashing in her life so far, it was the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If she was still back home, the worst she could have suffered was a couple of skinned knees after slipping on the muddy road.

Sedna continued walking up the street. When she reached her home, she noticed that the lights were on. And that Arnook was waiting for her on the front lawn, his arms crossed at his chest, his mouth twisted to a scowl. When she got closer, she noticed there was a bruise on the side of his forehead.

"You are so busted," Arnook groveled at her, his voice cracking as he spoke. He may have tried to look intimidating, but when he spoke, he still had the high voice of a boy awkwardly transitioning to that of a man's. "Mom and Dad want a word with you."

Now realizing that something was wrong, Sedna slowly ascended the front steps and walked through the unlocked front door, where she was met with her mother screaming, "SEDNA ENSENADA OKPIK!"

Sedna froze in fear, her heart stopping and turning into ice as dread filled her body. "Oh crap, the full name ultimatum," she whispered. That was the moment Sedna realized how much trouble she was in. Because the last time she was called by that name, it was followed by a swift paddling to the bottom and a lecture about how wrong it is to fight in school that got interrupted by a visit from the Career Academy scout, who had an invitation for her to enroll as a student.

Mrs. Okpik stood in the middle of the room with a look of absolute fury on her face while Mr. Okpik, wrapped in his heaviest winter coat, sat in his old armchair, staring disapprovingly at his daughter.

"WHERE WERE YOU," Mrs. Okpik screamed, "WE LOOKED ALL OVER TOWN FOR YOU! DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH WORRY YOU PUT US THROUGH? GOING OUT ALL DAY AND NOT COMING BACK WHEN THERE WAS A FREAK STORM GOING ON? WE ASKED THE O'REILLY'S IF YOU WERE THERE AND THEY SAID THAT THEY HAVEN'T SEEN YOU OR NORI ALL DAY! AND THEN WE ASKED ALL OVER TOWN IF ANYONE RENTED A BOAT OUT TO YOU AND THEY SAID THEY HAVEN'T SEEN YOU! LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE LUCKY YOU ONLY GOT OFF WITH SOME BRUISES! I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OUT THERE! YOU COULD HAVE DROWNED! AND WHO KNOWS IF WE COULD HAVE SEEN YOU AGAIN! IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT CORAL IS MISSING! THE SAME COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU! AND THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I AM GOING TO LOSE MY DAUGHTER NOW!"

Mrs. Okpik's tirade vibrated through out the wooden cottage. Framed photographs on the wall rattled in their places while some family mementos on the mantelpiece moved and slipped off, crashing to the ground. Outside, some of the neighbors were ogling at the scene through their living room and kitchen windows, receiving a front row view of the drama unfolding in the Okpik household.

When she was done, red-faced and exhausted, Mrs. Okpik crossed the room and plopped down on the sofa, her head resting back against the pillows. "Arnie," she called out in a hoarse voice, "there's a bottle of gin I keep under the kitchen sink. Be a good boy and pour me a shot, will you?"

Arnook nodded his head and brough his mother a shot of gin in a little glass she kept by the sink. As he heeded his mother's order, Mr. Okpik stared in disapproval at Sedna.

"We are disappointed in you," he said in a quiet monotone.

"I understand, sir," Sedna answered, her body stiff and straight and her arms planted at her sides.

"We went out looking for you in the storm, wondering where you were," he reminded her.

"I know that know, sir."

"We had no idea where we could find you."

"I'm really sorry for that," Sedna said, trying her best to maintain the calm composure and not break down. No, Sedna, she thought, you can't show any weakness now. Weakness is now a surrender to death.

"Your brother got hit in the head with a tree branch when we were out in the hills," Mr. Okpik said. "He got cut pretty badly, and if it were any worse, he could have gotten stitches."

"Thanks a lot, sis," Arnook shot back sarcastically.

"Silence, my son," Mr. Okpik said, raising his hand in his son's direction and lowering it, his command for Arnook to quiet down. "Sedna, I am disappointed that not only did you go out, but that you left us with false information. We didn't know where you were and your mother spent the entire night crying, wondering where you went. We were afraid for you. And for scaring us so badly, I have no choice but to ground you. Three months. You are forbidden to speak to Nori, nor are you allowed to spend time with her. You are only allowed out to go to school. Anywhere else requires that you be accompanied by either me, your mother, or your brother. Do you understand."

Sedna bowed her head. "I understand, sir."

"Good. Now go to your room," Mr. Okpik commanded. Sedna shuffled down the hallway and opened her bedroom door, letting her bag drop at her feet with a soft thunk on the wood floor. Nini sat on the top bunk, dressing up one of the paper dolls she kept in a little box. She ignored her older sister.

The rest of the night was spent in silence. Eventually, Nini put away her dolls and went to sleep, leaving Sedna to lie in the darkness, her head sending bolts of pain through the rest of her body. She knew that she ought to get it checked out, but if she asked her mother for a pain reliever, Mrs. Okpik would angrily say, "you were asking for it". Finally, after what felt like hours, she slipped into a restless black stasis of sleep that was interrupted minutes later by a ringing alarm clock.

Injured or not, it was still a Monday and Sedna knew she was expected at the Academy. She got out of bed and threw her work out clothes over her body. As she got dressed, she noticed that the darkened bruises were just now beginning to fade to a purplish-red color although they were still tender to the touch. After tossing the contents of the ditty bag onto her bed and refilling it with the things she would actually need for the day, she slipped out into the hall.

Unlike the other mornings, when the house would be completely dark, she noticed that there was a soft, yellowish glow coming from the front of the house. Upon further inspection, she realized that the light was coming from a group of white candles, melted to the stubs, on the kitchen table. Mrs. Okpik sat at the table with her head in her arms. Her scarf was off and on the floor, leaving her hair a tangled nest of ratty brown curls.

Sedna stood at the end of the room, unsure if she should help her mother back to bed or leave her be. But before she could do anything, a low moan broke the silence.

"Seddie, come back. Come back, baby girl. Please come back," Mrs. Okpik cried softly, her head still buried in her arms.

It broke Sedna's heart to see her strong, feisty mother reduced to this state. Even more so because she knew she was the cause behind it. "Mom," she whispered, walking up to the table, crouching down so that her head was level with her mother's. "Mom, please don't cry. I'm here. I'm back."

Upon hearing her daughter's voice, Mrs. Okpik raised her head up and saw her daughter crouched next to her. Her green eyes were faded, the whites puffy and red. Sedna began crying when she saw her mother's haggard face. It was as if, in the span of three days, she aged three hard years. Mrs. Okpik extended her arms and drew Sedna close to her breast.

"Don't do this to me again," Mrs. Okpik whimpered, running her fingers through Sedna's black hair. Sedna noticed that her breath smelled strongly of gin. "Don't you... don't you dare do this to me again. The Andrews' already lost a granddaughter. And I'm not ready to lose my first baby. You're all that I have... and I can't bear to lose you. I can't lose my first born... I just can't. I can't lose one of my babies."

When Mrs. Okpik's grip finally lessened, Sedna wrapped her arms around her mother's torso, under her arms, and lifted her off her chair. When she could support her weight, Sedna led her mother down the hallway and into the larger bedroom. Mr. Okpik was still asleep, mumbling something starting a dolphin rodeo to raise money for a new fishing boat. She sat her mother down on the bed, where she curled up on one side.

"Don't go," Mrs. Okpik whispered, reaching out and grabbing the bottom of Sedna's shirt. "Not yet. Not yet."

"I won't, not until you go to sleep," Sedna promised. She sat by her mother's side and waited until Mrs. Okpik's eyes slipped shut and she finally drifted off to sleep. Sedna got up, planted a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I am so sorry, Mom. I promise I won't do anything that stupid ever again."

And then she was off, again.

* * *

A/N: Three things about this chapter-

1) Writing the scenes with Mrs. Okpik was the hardest thing to do so far in this story.

2) Sedna's middle name, Ensenada, comes from the tourist city in Baja California. It is also known as "_La Cenicienta del Pacífico_", the Cinderella of the Pacific. I didn't realize the connection until after I chose the name, which I picked because I liked how it sounded with the rest of her name and I think Mrs. Okpik would have chosen a name that paid homage to her Mexican heritage.

3) It's pretty obvious now where Nini gets her sleep talking abilities from.


	46. Chapter 46

Theme: 6. Break Away

On the following afternoon, Sedna found herself standing by the trident station, waiting to her turn, and watching the red haired, fourteen-year-old from yesterday practicing again. Despite his small size and young age, he could swiftly take down the dummy with one jab of the trident. It was obvious that all the extra practice sessions he was taking were paying off. As he continued taking down the dummies, she wondered how is it that he could get so good despite his young age.

The only solution Sedna could reason was that, living at the Academy full time, in the special dormitories sanctioned for children who hailed from the smaller villages down south.

There were communities like that. Little fishing hamlets situated near the sea that specialized in fishing for certain species exclusive to the area. Because they lived so far away from the capital village of District 4, these little communities would hold lotteries in the weeks leading up to the Reaping. The youths selected in those lotteries were then taken to the main village where the Reapings were hosted and participated in the ceremony with the boys and girls who lived there. That way, everyone had a chance of going into the Hunger Games regardless of where they lived.

Of course, there would almost always be a Career ready to volunteer, thus sparing the village children who had traveled for days a certain death in the Arena and otherwise making the trip completely pointless. The only benefit of coming up to the main village was to stick around for the festivities that followed the Reapings.

However, there has been one instance during Sedna's life in which one of the hamlet children, a girl of twelve from the south, was Reaped into the Games and killed in the Bloodbath. All because the Career who was supposed to volunteer got injured and couldn't volunteer that year.

That happened during Sedna's first Reaping, and she could still recall the look of utter terror on the poor little girl's face when it dawned on her that she would not be going home to her family in that remote village. That girl's face had blanched into a shade reminiscent of sour milk, making her green eyes look even bigger, more haunted than normal. And she had that look that read, "I think I am going to be sick" through out the ceremony and when she was spirited away to the train station. The week following the Reaping, Sedna was haunted by nightmares of that little girl's face, and it only propelled her at the time to want to volunteer when the time came so that no little girl had to go into the Arena.

Being from the hamlets didn't exclude the children from having a chance to train for the Hunger Games. The kids who lived full time at the Career Academy were proof that those villages existed and that they too could participate. Boys and girls scouted out for their talent at an early age and taken from their families to be trained as killers full time.

"Good job," the attendant, the same one training the boy yesterday, said. "Next!"

A burly-looking boy of sixteen took the younger boy's spot. He slipped up next to Sedna and remarked, "I think I saw you here yesterday. Weren't you the one talking to Hosea."

"Yeah," she replied, watching the burly boy practicing. He threw his trident, but it missed his target. He stamped his foot and shouted an expletive before the attendant sent him to the back of the line.

Then she looked over at the younger boy and got a closer look at him. He was already a handsome kid, with bronze-colored hair and bright sea-green eyes.

"You're getting good at this, how long have you been training," she asked softly.

"I've been here since I was six," the boy said, "a scout picked me out from a bunch of the boys in my village. He saw me fishing with my dad and told him I had potential in the Hunger Games. And a week later, I was coming up here."

"And how do you like it?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "It's alright. I miss my family and my friends back home. I only get to see them for one week out of the year."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sedna said in her most polite voice.

"But it'll be worth it," the boy said, flashing a pearly white grin that if Nini Okpik had witnessed it, she would have fallen to the ground in one fell swoop. Or start begging him to be her boyfriend. "When I win the Hunger Games, I'll get to bring my parents and my grandad to come live with me in the Victor's Village. And we'll be a family again."

"I believe you," Sedna remarked, smiling "You're really good with a trident, so you certainly a chance."

"Thanks," the boy said, giving her another grin. "I don't think I got a name from you."

"It's Sedna."

"That's a cool name," the boy remarked. He held out his hand and Sedna shook it. "I'm Odair, Finnick Odair. If I were you, I'd remember it, 'cause it's gonna get famous one day."

* * *

(A/N: When I encountered 'break away' as a theme, the first thing I imagined was Sedna and Coral being broken up. And as I was writing this, the text shifted to a vignette about trainee Careers from other parts of District 4 that are taken away from their families and trained full time, never getting a real chance to go back to them.

The main inspiration I got for this vignette was from reading about a Romanian gymnast named Nadia Comaneci, who rose to fame in the 1970's and '80's. From the age of six, she trained at a special school for gymnasts where many of the students were living full time and who couldn't see their family for the most of it.

I always figured that there had to be these little fishing villages scattered around District 4, like the ones in District 2, hence why they are mentioned here. As for why I included Finnick? I just thought it would be cool for Sedna to interact with him at least once and to give him a little bit of a back story).


	47. Chapter 47

Theme: 77. Test

As Hosea requested, Sedna found herself waiting alone in the training center following dinner. After ten minutes of sitting in the vast hallway filled with training equipment, she spotted him walking through the double doors.

"Good, you're here," he said, noticing her standing in the center of the room.

"Did you think I wasn't going to come," she asked. Hosea didn't respond. Instead, he took a key ring from his pocket and crossed the room, opening up one of the cabinets that lined the wall. When he opened the door, Sedna saw that the wall was lined with weapons. Maces, tridents, spears, swords, axes, throwing knives, bows and arrows. All neatly arranged on metal racks. When he was done, Hosea turned to face his lone student.

"Now you may already know," Hosea began, his voice assuming the official tone he took when talking to trainees, "without your weapon, you are nothing in the Hunger Games. Without a weapon, you might as well sign your own death warrant. Not only will your weapon be a means of defending yourself, it will also help seal your victory when used correctly."

Correctly as in kill, Sedna thought.

"Before we begin training, I just want to test your capabilities with the weapons provided here," Hosea said, gesturing to the racks beside him. "That way, I can gauge your abilities and we can practice with a weapon that you are good with. You have practiced with all of these weapons, am I right?"

"Yes sir. Good," he exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "then I don't have to teach you any of the fundamentals. That makes my job a lot easier then. Will you do the honors of selecting something and just demonstrating your skills?"

"Okay then." Sedna crossed the room and picked up the bow and arrows. Slinging the arrows around her waist, she and Hosea walked to the archery station. Assuming the proper stance, legs open and straddling the line painted on the floor, she took an arrow from the quiver, notched it, then drew the string back before releasing it!

BAM! When she lowered her bow, Sedna noticed that the arrow had hit the blue outer ring of the target. Nowhere near the bulls eye.

"Better than Davenport to be honest," Hosea said, one hand on his chin. "How about you try something else."

Sedna replaced the bow and arrows with a pair of throwing knives. She returned to the target, and gripping the rubber handles of the knives, began flinging them at the target. Once again, the blades were embedded in the blue outer ring. It look a lot of will power for her not to let out a groan of frustration.

Hosea glanced from the target to Sedna and back to the target. "May I recommend a weapon for you to try," he asked.

"Be my guest," Sedna said invitingly.

Hosea looked her up and down before saying, "you grew up in the Breck, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you ever gone spear fishing before," he asked.

Sedna gave a small nod. "I used to. When I was really little. My dad would take Arnook and I with him on his trips. But I haven't done it in years. I kind of quit when I was eleven. I wanted to hang out with Coral more than with my dad."

"That's all I need to know," Hosea said, "let's see if your skills hold up after five years."

A minute later, Sedna returned to the station with one of the spears in hand. With it's smooth, polished tip and metal shaft with a rubber grip, the spears provided by the Career Academy were nothing like the wood-and-stone pieced her father kept in his fishing shed. It felt foreign to her. Like she was holding a completely new weapon and not something that she grew up using.

She straddled the line, extending her left arm in front of her, angling her right arm behind her as she held the spear aloft.

"Bend your knees," Hosea called out. Sedna obeyed, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, stalling on the throw.

"Now throw," he yelled.

Sedna flung the spear with all her might, extending her arm so far she nearly dislocated her arm from the shoulder socket, letting out a loud scream in the process.

THUNK!

She closed her eyes, unsure of how she did. If she had any money, she would bet it hit the blue ring, again.

"For a beginner, that was amazing."

Sedna opened her eyes and found Hosea, grinning broadly and standing by the target. The spear, to her astonishment, penetrated the bulls eye.

"I did that," she asked, her voice taking on an excited tone. She couldn't help but smile.

"You did," Hosea looked back at her. "You passed the weapons aptitude test. The next question is, how do you feel about training with a spear full-time?"

Sedna reached up and lightly touched her aching shoulder. "Yes, if it means always getting a bulls eye. Will you teach me how to throw it so I don't dislocate my arm," she asked.

"Yes and yes."

"Then yes. I'm totally game with practicing with the spears."


	48. Chapter 48

Theme: 60. Rejection

One evening, about two months after Sedna began training with Hosea, she was on her bed and pulling off her sneakers when she noticed something that made her heart sink. The sole of one of her shoes was coming apart from the main body. When she sat up and lifted her foot, mimicking a walking motion, the top part of the sneaker came apart, exposing her toes.

"Dang it," Sedna hissed, repeating the same motion. "Mom, my shoes are coming apart!"

"Okay, what do you want me to do about it," Mrs. Okpik shouted from the kitchen.

Sedna quieted, thinking about what to do for a moment. In actuality, she didn't know what to do. Shoes were very expensive in District 4. Work boots cost as much as a week's work of pay on a fishing vessel. And sneakers were a rarity. She obtained her only pair from another girl in exchange for two bags of tuna jerky, a conch shell that she had prized, having found it while diving in the sea when she was nine, and a gold pirate coin she once found in the sand. Items that she had treasured and which hurt to give away.

And chances are, it would be even more expensive to get the shoes repaired. Sedna recalled seeing her father get into a heated argument with the cobbler over the price of getting his boots resoled one time.

"Two pounds of lobsters, are you daft," Mr. Okpik exclaimed at the cobbler, "My boots cost half that price when I bought them five years ago!"

Instead of asking her mother for food or money to pay to get the shoes repaired, Sedna slipped out to the backyard and to the shed out back. She retrieved a spool of black tape from a shelf and returned to her room. Sitting herself down on the bed, gripping the old, dirty sneaker in between her knees like a vise, she began wrapping a length of tape around the toes. Tearing the tape off and setting the spool aside, Sedna slipped the sneaker back on and frowned at the results. Now it looked like an old, falling apart sneaker with tape wrapped around the toes. One of the many hallmarks of a poor kid. So impoverished, they can't even afford to get their shoes fixed.

She tried walking but the tape kept sticking to the floor, making it hard to pick her feet up. Sighing, she slipped the shoe off and tucked it under her bed.

"Fine, I'll just go barefoot then," Sedna said, tucking the other shoe under the bed with its mate. There was a girl who won the Hunger Games many, many years ago and she didn't wear shoes. She was from District 11. And when she was being interviewed by Caesar in his first stint as the master of ceremonies for the Games, he asked why she was barefoot while the other girls were teetering in high heels.

The girl just giggled and said in a teasing voice, "I jus' don' like shoes, Mista Flickerman. Mah family's so poor, we jus' can' afford shoes. So ah've always been barefoot. An' its work'd for me so far. It makes mah feet stronger."

And so, that girl spent the entire Hunger Games barefoot.

"It worked for that girl, why don't I just try," Sedna said.

The following morning, Sedna showed up at the Academy sans shoes. When Monica caught sight of her bare feet, she began whispering into Laguna's ear before the two girls broke out into fits of giggles. Just like when they were harassing Coral.

But Sedna ignored them. Instead, she focused on learning a new disarming technique one of the trainers recently discovered. After all, there were other things to worry about. Shoes were at the very bottom of that list.

And, as she reminded herself, if someone who grew up without shoes could win the Hunger Games, so can she.

That afternoon, as Sedna padded down the hallway, she passed by Monica lurking by the water fountains, again flanked by Laguna.

"Look at her," Monica hissed, "she's so poor, she can't even afford decent clothes to wear here. What a joke!"

"Maybe she should try fishing for a new pair," Laguna suggested, "isn't that how the everyone in the Breck goes shopping? Just head out to the beach with a net and a pole and hope that you get a decent pair!"

They burst out laughing, not taking the time to conceal their noise.

Sedna heard it, but she just continued walking.

You'll get back at them, she calmly reminded herself, it'll just be a few more years when that happens.


	49. Chapter 49

Theme: 80. Words

It was only a matter of time before Monica pounced on her latest prey. Sedna was only surprised at how long it took for her to begin. Two months to the day that Coral vanished from District 4, Monica began her offense.

It only took a pair of old sneakers to herald the start of Monica's reign of terror.

And it escalated from there.

"Do you always have to wear the same clothes to class every day," Monica sneered at Sedna in the locker room. Today, Monica was wearing a pale pink track suit with a spangled white tank top with the words 'baby' spread across her boobs. Sedna had on the same clothes she wore everyday. A baggy white t-shirt and black pants that were loosing it's stretch after being washed so many times. She realized that it was only a matter of time before her old work out clothes would get so worn out, she would have to replace them. And that wouldn't come until she could find someone willing to trade her some old hand-me-downs for a reasonable trade off.

"Ok, trainees," bellowed Ajax, one of the Academy trainers, "I want everyone lined up in a single file line, arranged by birthday!"

The trainees assembled before him groaned, but did as they were told. When they were done, Monica realized that she was standing next to Sedna. She then remarked, "ugh, what smells like something crawled into the ocean and died? Oh, wait, it's just Sedna."

Some of the stupider, more immature trainees laughed, until Ajax shouted for them to pipe down, or else they will be running laps around the training center. Sedna gritted her teeth.

Is that the best you can do, Sedna thought. Her brother could make up better insults than Monica.

Sedna walked into Mr. Collier's classroom the next afternoon smelling a strong odor of fish. The other trainees noticed to, as some of them had taken to tying handkerchiefs around her nose and mouths, or pulling up their shirts to block out the stench. As she sat down at her desk, she realized that the smell was stronger here than it was when she was standing by the door.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she found a large, rotting trout in her desk compartment. Flies were already swarming around it and fat white maggots were sticking out of the decaying meat.

"Ugh," she groaned, resisting the urge to vomit, pinching the tail with her thumb and pointer finger and disposing it in the hallway. When class began, Frank Pescado interrupted Mr. Collier's morning announcements to ask, "aren't you going to do something about the rotting fish stink? It's giving me a head ache."

The other students in the classroom murmured in agreement, either because they were also getting sick or because they felt that they had to agree with the mayor's son.

Then Monica raised her hand in the air.

"Yes, Miss Davenport?"

"Why don't we just send whatever is sticking up the room back to the Breck, where it belongs," she suggested.

Mr. Collier smacked himself in the head with his clipboard while the other students, including Monica, laughed. Sedna slumped further down in her fish-smelling desk, biting her tongue out of frustration.

"This is going to be a long two years," she grumbled.

And chances are, it is going to get worse from here on out.


	50. Chapter 50

29. Happiness

The three month grounding that Sedna received ended on a Saturday. Sedna woke up that morning not realizing it. Nowadays, Saturday and Sunday were designated as 'training day', where she would meet with Hosea and practice for half a day before returning home.

When she passed by the O'Reilly residence, she was met with Nori bounding up to her with the biggest smile on her face.

"Guess what day it is," she chimed.

Sedna stood and stared blankly at Nori, unsure of what day it is.

"You know your birthday isn't for another three months, right," Sedna asked.

Nori snorted in laughter. "No," she said, "it's the day that your grounding is over! Now we can hang out full time?"

"Really? It was today," Sedna asked, shocked. She had almost forgotten about the Nori-ban. She reckoned that after devoting so much of her free time to training, she just simply forgot about Nori. Not to mention that she still harbored a bit of anger towards her after their little adventure from three months back.

"C'mon, we should hang out," Nori suggested, taking Sedna's hand. "Skeezer found this cool spot to go... don't worry, it's in District limits... he found a really cool surf spot. The waves there are eight feel high and are gnarly!"

"Oh, man, Nori, that's awesome," Sedna said, faking a smile, "but I can't really go out with you today."

"Then tomorrow," Nori said, still flashing her toothy grin. "You're not busy tomorrow, are you?"

Sedna shook her head. "I have training," she explained.

"They're doing it on the weekends now?"

"Not really, I'm just taking on extra training sessions," Sedna admitted, "I have to get really good if I ever hope to beat Monica. I hope you understand."

Nori's smile faded, and it hurt her to see her look so disappointed. "I see," she sighed, "I hope you're still not mad at me for the search party."

"I'm not. Seriously."

"Call me when you have a free day then," Nori said, "I really missed hanging out with you. We had so much fun, and while the Bay Boys are cool, I like having girl friends too."

"Me too. The hanging out with you part," Sedna said. "I'll see you around then."

"Same."

Sedna began walking down the path to the Academy when Nori called out, "You kick their asses at training, ok? I want you to win so I can get my buddy back. Then, it'll totally make up for us not hanging out anymore."

* * *

A/N: I apologize for rushing out these chapters. SparrowCries just posted her update schedule for Shattered Memories (the story Sedna is in as a tribute) and I want to get this story done before she finishes.

As for this chapter, I figured that for happiness, it would be the feeling Nori would get at maybe seeing her friend again.


	51. Chapter 51

Theme: 78. Drink

District 4's Reaping Ceremony for the 59th Hunger Games proved to be the most shocking by far when a fourteen year old boy volunteered.

"I volunteer! I volunteer," he shouted, before Madelyna even had the chance to read the name off the scrap of paper she drew from the Reaping bowl. He pushed his way out of the group he was corralled into and began running up to the stage. Everyone stood dumbfounded as the little red-haired kid jumped up to the stage and stood beside a stunned Madelyna. "My name is Finnick Odair, and I will be District 4's newest Victor."

No one cheered for the boy. Instead, all eyes were staring back at him, as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

"That kid is gonna get fucking killed," Erica, who was standing in front of Sedna, deadpanned.

"I know, right," Nori agreed, "no fourteen year old has ever won the Games. The hell was he thinking?"

"I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you two," Sedna interjected, looking up to see Finnick shaking hands with his District partner. She knew the girl, somewhat. Her name was Delmara Cortez, the eighteen-year-old scholarship student and sister of Nettie Cortez, and she possessed deadly accuracy with a bow and arrow. Delmara had a look of utter distaste as she shook hands with the boy who was a head shorter than her. "I've seen him train. He is really good with a trident."

"Except for one teensy, weensy little fucking detail," Erica said, "no one hasn't used a fucking trident ever since that son of a sea whore..."

"Will you tone down your language," snapped another girl standing near by. She glared at her with a look of absolute disgust that she would speak in that language in public.

"Piss off, Greco," Erica snapped, "and why don't you grow a fucking ball sack while you're at it."

The girl called Greco huffed in frustration before turning back to the stage, where Finnick and Delmara were being escorted off by the Peacekeepers. "But seriously, there's no way we're getting a Victory from him."

* * *

"C'mon, Sedna, you're gonna miss the Bloodbath," Arnook shouted from the living room. Sedna was standing by the sink, chugging down a glass of water, before refilling the cup and returning to the living room. The rest of the family sat around the television, either on the sofa or lying down on the floor. Sedna took a seat on an arm chair and started watching the start of the 59th Hunger Games.

This year's arena was a tropical island filled with dense jungle foliage. The Cornucopia was stationed on a little island, in the middle of a crystal clear atoll ringed with pedestals where the tributes were standing.

"Oh man, we are so getting a Victor this year," Arnook said gleefully, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"It would be nice," Mrs. Okpik sighed, "the last time District 4 had a Victor, I was pregnant with Sedna. I couldn't participate in the Victory celebrations because whatever I ate kept coming back up."

She shot an accusing tone at Sedna, but her daughter knew she was merely joking. Sedna shrugged and said, "sorry for the chronic morning sickness, but if Delmara wins, then you can make up for it."

"Shush," Nini whispered from her seat on the floor, "the countdown just started."

On screen, the tributes stood as still as statues on the pedestals, anticipating the moment when the gong rang and they could make a run to the Cornucopia. When the countdown stopped at zero, a boom rang through the Arena and the tributes began to make a break for the Arena.

Delmara was one of the first tributes to make it to the Arena. She grabbed a sword off of a wall and began defending the Cornucopia and immediately decapitated the boy from District 9, who had just reached the scene and was grabbing for a machete. She was then joined by her alliance members, the other Career tributes from 1 and 2 and Finnick, who also began picking off the tributes. Although none of them had the skills of Eric or the brute strength of Murdann, by the time they were able to scare off the others from the Cornucopia and claim it as their base for the remainder of the Games. By the time the Bloodbath ended, in the late afternoon, the five members of the Career Alliance had killed eleven tributes: The girls from 3 and 10, the boy from 6, and both tributes from 5, 8, 9, and 12.

Despite his small size and youth, Finnick proved to hold his own against the older, more experienced members of his alliance when he killed the boys from 6 and 8, spearing them in the stomach with a spear he had recovered from the Cornucopia. Yet despite killing two tributes, he was still treated as a pesky little brother by the other Careers.

* * *

On the third day of the Games, with no deaths occurring since the Bloodbath, Sterling, the boy from District 1, announced that they should go on a hunt.

"Cool, I'll come along," Finnick announced, springing up from the crate he was sitting on.

But Sterling laughed and ruffled Finnick's bronze hair. "I don't think so, Kiddo," he said, "you're way too young for this. And we need someone to defend the Cornucopia. This hunt is for the big kids."

"I'm a big kid," Finnick protested, "I killed two tributes in the Bloodbath."

"He has a point," Delmara said, looking up from the backpack she was packing. "And how many did you kill again, Sterling? One. And it was a twelve-year-old girl."

Sterling's face turned to a brilliant beet red before storming off, muttering curses under his breath.

"But those boys were even smaller him," the District 1 girl, Glitter, pointed out, "it's not like Octavia, who took down two boys. And that girl from 3."

"She was a slippery one," Octavia said from her look out perch on top of the Cornucopia, whittling a bit of driftwood with her hunting knife. "I didn't realize that District 3 offered marital arts courses."

"I doubt it," Quintus, her District partner, spoke up from inside the Cornucopia, emerging with a sword in hand. "I don't think the other Districts are allowed to train."

"Well whatever," Glitter said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Me and Sterling want to go hunting. Finnick, you've got to stay behind and watch the Cornucopia. Got that? If I don't see you here by the time we are back, we will kill you."

Glitter, Sterling, Quintus, and Octavia took some supplies and their weapons and began to head out when they noticed a member of their party was missing.

"Aren't you coming," Octavia asked, looking back and seeing Delmara standing by the mouth of the Cornicopia with Finnick.

Delmara shook her head. "He's gonna get killed if he's stuck here alone. I better stay and watch him."

Finnick shot a furious look at Delmara.

"Fine, suit yourself then," Glitter said, "just don't come bitching to me about how you have no kills so far."

And with that, the Career Alliance disappeared into the woods. Delmara let out a sigh and turned to Finnick, "sorry for that charade. But that was the only way I could stay here without them getting suspicious."

Finnick let out a groan and kicked at a rock. "I just hate it when they treat me like a baby," he said.

"You should have thought that through before you volunteered," Delmara said, taking a seat on a crate. "What were you thinking, volunteering at fourteen? That's way too young to be in these Games."

"No, it's not," Finnick said, "there were other tributes my age and younger. One of the boys I killed looked younger than me."

"Well, they didn't have a choice to be here," Delmara said, "but you did. I don't know what was going through your head at the time, but if I were you, I'd stop complaining or else you'll end up being skewered on someone's weapon. No one likes a whiner."

There was a rustling coming from the jungle and Finnick and Delmara stood up.

"Get behind me," Delmara hissed, "or you'll be going back to District 4 in a coffin." Finnick obeyed and stood behind his District partner, his back facing the ocean. Delmara took a knife from her belt and held it out, anticipating an ambush or a Mutt or some other horror on the other side. But instead of a monster, a girl emerged from the woods. She was crying softly to herself, wrapping her arm around her stomach. What looked to be blood was smeared across her pale face and a black bruise was forming over her eye.

"It's the District 7 girl," Finnick whispered.

Delmara tightly gripped her knife, "I guess this means I'll have to take her out of her misery. She wouldn't want to spend the rest of the Games in pain, am I right?"

Finnick nodded, either out of fear for the older Career or in agreement. Delmara stepped up to the wounded District 7 girl, hiding the knife behind her back. "What happened to you," she asked in a saccharine-sweet voice.

"These boys..." gasped the girl, her voice choked with sobs, "ambushed me... they tried to kill me... but I escaped... but they hurt me real bad."

She collapsed into Delmara's chest, wrapping her arms around the Career's neck, and weeping softly.

"I'm so sorry to hear about that," Delmara said, slowly bringing the knife out and holding it up to her back, "we have a first aid kit you can use."

"Thank you" the girl whispered before turning her head back to the jungle. Three figures emerged from the foliage, all boys, all clutching tree branches and blow guns. They were the male tributes from District 3, District 7, and District 10. The District 7 girl reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out an object, which she then struck into Delmara's head. Delmara stumbled back, a trickle of blood running down her face. Finnick stepped forward, fumbling for the hunting knife hanging from his belt, ready to spring into action. Delmara saw the knife in his hand and shouted, "Get out of here, Finnick! Get out of here unless you want to die. I can hold them off."

The boy from District 10, a strongly built youth with straw-like hair hanging in his eyes, lumbered towards him, gripping a tree branch like a club. When he saw the improvised club, Finnick turned and raced to the shoreline. When he reached the water, he dove in and began swimming away from the beach. The District 10 boy stumbled to a halt before running away from the water.

"What the hell, Neill," shouted the District 7 boy as he was wrestling Delmara on the sand. The boy from 3 and the girl from 7 were raiding the Cornucopia for supplies. Despite taking a blow to the head, she was putting up a good fight, kicking the boy and raining punches on his body. "Go after him."

"I can't," Neill yelled back, "I can't swim, Teak."

"Are you kidding me," Teak roared before delivering a kick to Delmara's solar plexus. She fell off Teak and rolled to the sand, grabbing her midsection and gasping loudly for air. When she was incapacitated, Teak took one of the thick branches and smashed it into her skull.

* * *

Even out in the open water, Finnick could still hear the loud boom of cannon fire. With no where else to go, he began swimming around the island, only returning to dry land when he could find a place far away from the Cornucopia, away from where Teak and his alliance and the Careers were. Then he disappeared into the jungle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Teak and his alliance where finishing up their raid on the Cornucopia. When they got the supplies their needed supplies, they took off. An hour later, the Career alliance returned to find their camp looted.

"Where the hell are Delmara and Finnick," Quintus asked.

Glitter poked around the scattered supplies. "Do you think they decided to skip out on their own?"

"Maybe," Sterling said, "Delmara did stay behind."

"If that be the case then we're going to have to make finding those to the top priority," Octavia announced. "I'm sorry, but as you all know, stealing is a crime punishable by death. And since they robbed us, they have to be punished. It's only right."

* * *

The program then cut to a commercial break. Sedna, Nori, Skeezer, and three of the Bay Boys sat around the television set in Skeezer's living room, completely caught off guard by what they had just witnessed.

"Good-bye District 4 victory," Skeezer mournfully whistled, grabbing a beer bottle from the cooler at his feet, cracking it open on the edge of the battered coffee table, and raising it in the air. Sedna, Nori, and the Bay Boys followed suit. "To Delmara and Finnick."

"To Delmara and Finnick," they repeated in unison. Then they took a drink.


	52. Chapter 52

Theme: 10. Breathe Again

Over the next several days, Sedna found herself watching the Hunger Games with rapt attention, tracking Finnick's every move. She couldn't fully explain why to the others. Everyone else in District 4 already gave up their hopes of seeing one of their own become a Victor. Nettie and her family were distraught at seeing Delmara's life end at the hands of that brute from District 7.

"Face it, we are screwed," Arnook said aloud one afternoon, on the fifth day of the Games. Sedna, as always, was sitting in front of the television, pen hovering over a pad of paper as she wrote down random notes for that dreaded yearly report. On screen, the cameras were focusing on the Anti-Careers Alliance as they set up camp near a gushing waterfall. In addition to Teak from District 7 and Neill from District 10, they were joined by Hal of District 3 and Teak's District partner, Elmira. "If I had money, I'd bet on that District 2 girl. Did you see her take out that guy from District 11 yesterday? That guy was a foot taller than her and she took him out like he was nothing!"

"You and everyone else in Panem," Sedna replied, never bothering to look away from the television. Arnook walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water and an apple and sat down on the sofa next to her. Meanwhile, the cameras switched from Teak and his alliance to Finnick, who was sitting high in the trees and weaving together a net from fishing vines.

"I will admit though, that kid is pretty industrious," Arnook noted, watching as Finnick unfurled his creation. It was a huge net, tightly woven together with jungle vines. "He's probably better at net making than me!"

"At least he won't starve," Sedna said, thinking back to one of the other tributes, the District 6 girl, who was alone and now battling starvation after fleeing the Cornucopia with only a slingshot, a roll of bandages, and a waist pouch to support her.

Finnick perked his head up, as if he heard something. It took them a moment, but soon Arnook and Sedna heard it too. A low whistle that signaled the arrival of a sponsor gift. A silver parachute drifted down from the sky. But instead of bearing the little silver canisters that contained the desperately needed supplies, it was bearing a trident. A sleek trident with three sharp, silver prongs attached to a long, black handle.

Arnook took a drink of water before spitting it out again. Sedna stared dumbfounded at the screen.

"That can't be," Sedna said. Never had she seen a sponsor gift this extravagant. It must have cost a fortune for his mentor to send to him.

"How do you think Mags managed," Arnook asked, watching as Finnick took the trident and shouted, with a wide grin on his face, "thank you! Thank you so much" before blowing a kiss to the sky.

"I think we just saw how," Sedna said. Even though Finnick was only a boy, he was very handsome. Probably the best looking guy at the Academy. She couldn't even count how many times she has seen the younger girls sneaking glances at Finnick as they crossed paths in the halls or abandoning their training to watch him practice. At the interviews, dressed in a suit with no shirt underneath, he was complimenting all the "lovely Capital ladies" and how forward he was to meeting them when he turned sixteen. The delighted screams from the audience were deafening.

In that moment, she knew that with his good looks, ability to charm the wealthy sponsors in the Capital, and his newly aqcuired spear, Finnick Odair's odds were definitely in his favor.

Finnick's first victim was Sterling Edgerton of District 1. Later that very afternoon, Sterling was hunting alone in the jungle, near the grove of trees where Finnick was now camping out in, when a heavy net fell from the sky and landed on top of him. Finnick followed, landing on Sterling's back like it was a mattress set out to cushion his fall. A loud crunch followed, and then Sterling's screams of pain.

"You," gasped Sterling, his brow crinkled in pain. "I'm gonna... I'm gonna kill you... for not being at camp... like I... said."

"Not if I do first," Finnick said calmly, coldly, before jamming the prongs of the trident into the back of Sterling's neck.

The next to go was Glitter Davidson, Sterling's District partner. Quintus and Octavia sent her to go look for Sterling when he didn't return to camp. She too became entangled in the net of vines, and she pleaded for mercy.

"Please let me go," Glitter begged, tears running down her big, amber brown eyes, "if you free me, I'll let you kiss me. Wait... if you let me go, I'll let you touch my boobs. Fourteen-year-old boys like that, right? Let me go and I'll take my top off for you!"

To emphasize her point, she cupped her breasts and pushed them up, making them look bigger than ever.

But he couldn't be swayed. Instead, Finnick crouched down in front of Glitter, the sharp points of his trident pressing up against her throat. "I'm sorry, Glitter," he whispered tenderly, as if he was addressing a girlfriend and not just another tribute who had to die, "but I've seen bigger back in District 4."

And with one thrust to the throat, Glitter Davidson was gone, her death signaled by a booming cannon just seconds later.

By the tenth day, the number of tributes left dwindled down to eight tributes: Finnick, Octavia Tzu and Quintus Sorensen from District 2, Hal Bozard of District 3, Rhoda Marshall of District 6, Teak Inserra and Elmira Bixby of District 7, and Neill Conagher of District 10.

Slowly, the residents of District 4 began watching these Games with a renewed interest. After seeing the recaps of Finnick receiving his trident and successfully taking out the pair from District 1, they began to feel the faintest hope that maybe, just maybe, they will have their long-awaited Victor. They began to breathe again, finally able to try and enjoy watching the Games while rooting on for their new hometown hero.

The girls of District 4 expressed their enthusiasm over seeing Finnick doing so well in the Games. They began collection tins in their neighborhoods, scouring the streets for dropped change or carting unwanted items to the market to sell, wiring the donations to Mags in the hopes that she will purchase foods, medicine, anything her charge needed or wanted and send it to him. They also began sending love notes with the money, which Mags would then forward to with the sponsor gifts. Every time Finnick received a new note, he would read it and thank whoever sent it to him.

"I can't wait to thank you personally for your support," he said up to the sky, tucking the notes away in a little pocket in a donated backpack.

Back in District 4, every household that contained at least one girl was emitting shrieks of delight as the daughters pointed to the television screens and shouted, "Mom, Dad! Did you see that! Finnick liked my message and he said he can't wait to meet me!"

Nini Okpik was one of those girls and Sedna and Arnook couldn't help but giggle when she too overreacted at Finnick receiving her declaration of love and support through the sponsorship system.


	53. Chapter 53

Theme: 49. Stripes

On the fourteenth day of the Games, Quintus Sorensen from District 2 cornered Rhoda Marshall of District 6 on a cliff overlooking a bed of sharp rocks. Although severely weakened by a diet of grass and rainwater, her small size enabled Rhoda to dodge the swings of Quintus' mace. After a long cat-and-mouse fight consisting of Quintus blindly swinging his mace and Rhoda narrowly dodging his blows, it ended when, realizing there was no way she was going to make it out of this alive, Rhoda used the last of her strength to latch onto Quintus' back. Quintus yelled, trying to pull the small girl off of his back. But she held on for dear life, pulling back on the boy's neck, pulling him towards the cliff edge. When he was finally teetering on the edge, Rhoda gave a sharp jerk back and the two came tumbling down to the rocks.

Three days after that, Octavia Tzu, the remaining tribute from 2, also died. By now, it was evident that the Gamemakers and the Capital were bored with her. She hadn't killed any tributes in over a week. When the cameras were on her, she was usually seen stalking the Arena for the remaining tributes that eluded her. If they had to commentate on her, Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith would spend the time speculating if she will ever find Finnick or the Anti-Careers. "It is such a shame to see a girl with a ten in training waste her talents," Templesmith sighed, shaking his head as Octavia roamed the jungle.

On the seventeenth day, Octavia Tzu found her end in a Gamemaker trap. While out in the jungle, she found herself trapped in a force field. Within minutes of being caught, she was besieged by a chorus of screams. Octavia hurried around the force field, banging on the invisible walls and demanding to be let out. "Someone, please, get me out of her," she screamed, her voice barely audible amongst the screams being filtered into her prison. After what felt like hours, Octavia gave up. She collapsed onto her knees, hands clamped over her ears, and her mouth open in a scream. When the force field dissolved after an hour, Octavia scrambled to her feet and began running. Even though the screams she had heard in the force field were gone, she appeared to still hear them.

"Mommy, Dad," Octavia screamed, charging through the jungle, as if still plagued by the screams of what was assumed to be of her family. She blindly ran through the tropical foliage, searching feverishly for the family that wasn't in the Arena with her. In her pursuit of the family in danger that only existed in her head, she fell into a rushing river that swept her over the edge of the waterfall, where she drowned.

With almost all of the Career tributes gone, and Finnick nowhere to be found, the Anti-Career Alliance moved into the Cornucopia. What they didn't know was that Finnick had been spending the last several days tracking their every move. He set up camp in a tree near the waterfall where they were originally in and where Octavia died, and when they left, he followed.

The first member of the Anti-Career alliance to die was Hal Bozard of District 3. The day after Octavia died and the Anti-Careers made camp in the Cornucopia, Teak, Neill, and Elmira took up their weapons and headed into the jungle in the hopes of catching their elusive target from District 4. Hal, having sprained his ankle two days before, was left to rest on the beach. Thinking that it would be alright, he took a nap in the shade of the Cornucopia, only waking up when he felt the heavy net descend over him.

Hal pleaded for his life. "You've gotta let me live," Hal begged through the net, watching in fear as Finnick approached him with the trident, "it's not me that you should be after. It's Teak! It was his idea to ambush the Cornucopia the first time around. I only agreed 'cause he said he'd kill me. And I wanna go ba-."

Finnick removed the trident impaled in Hal's back, leaving him lying face down on the sand for the hovercraft to claim him.

The next tribute to die was Neill Conagher, the tribute from 10. He, Teak, and Elmira raced back to the Cornucopia to find Hal's lifeless body still on the sand. Elmira collapsed onto the sand and cradled Hal's head in her lap while Teak took his anger out on Neill.

"You ass, you should have stayed behind," Teak shouted, pushing Neill so hard, he fell onto the sand.

"You never said I had to," Neill shouted back, "you never told me to stay with Hal!"

"Stop it, both of you," Elmira shrieked, tears running down her face. But Neill and Teak ignored her. Teak tried to kick Neill, but Neill grabbed his leg, dragging him onto the sand. The two boys began to fight, exchanging punches and kicks. Even though Neill had the advantage of brute strength and size, Teak had a knife concealed in his pant leg. When he got his hand on the knife, Teak stabbed it into Neill's arm. Neill let out a scream and tried to throw Teak off. But the boy clung on to Neill, scrambling over his back before sliding the blade of the knife across Neill's throat.

Neill collapsed, face down, on the sand. His cannon went off seconds later. Elmira let out a loud wail. Teak stood up and wiped the blade off on his pants.

"Looks like it's just you and me now," he said coldly to Elmira. Elmira shuddered and retreated against the mouth of the Cornucopia.

"Please don't hurt me," she whimpered. Teak threw his knife aside on the sand and walked up to Elmira, crouching down in front of her and taking her face in his bloody hands.

"Shush," he whispered, "you know I would never hurt you. Why would I hurt the girl I've known my entire life? You may not be my girlfriend, but that makes you no less special than me. If we were the only two people left, I will gladly allow you to win. But for that to happen, we need to find a way to lure that boy from 4 out. You might not like this, but I promise if you follow through on it, you will be going back to District 7 alive."

Elmira smiled and buried her face in Teak's chest. He wrapped his arms around her. Hours later, when she slipped into a deep slumber, Teak got back his knife. But instead of putting it back in his belt, he clutched it with one hand while walking towards the sleeping girl.

It was only a matter of minutes before the Capital began advertising the final showdown between Finnick Odair, Teak Inserra, and Elmira Bixby. "Tune in tomorrow as Finnick Odair faces off against District 7's Deadly Duo," the commercials blared over a montage of clips of the remaining tributes. The rest of the evening was spent with Cladius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman speculating what will happen the following morning and who will end up being crowned the Victor.

By noon the next day, every television set in District 4, as well as all over Panem, tuned in to watch the conclusion of the 59th Hunger Games. Viewers were met with shock as it revealed that Teak murdered his District partner during the night. Recaps showed him cutting her throat open with a hunting knife, whispering, "sorry I have to do this, but honestly, we both know you wouldn't have survived these Games without me" as he did the deed. With Elmira Bixby gone and only one other person standing in his way to victory, Teak packed up his remaining supplies and headed out into the forest to find Finnick Odair.

Everyone watched with baited breath as Teak trekked through the jungle, hacking away at the vines and the greenery with his hunting knife, anticipating the moment when Finnick would appear and the two would fight.

A low whistle rang overhead, followed by a boy's cracking voice greeting him with a, "good morning, Teak Inserra."

Teak looked up and found Finnick sitting on a tree branch with his heavy net of vines in one hand and his trident in the other.

"There you are," Teak whistled, "I've been looking for you for days. You have no idea how much you've been a thorn in my side."

"I can say the same to you," Finnick replied, "going out and killing my District partner like that. And she was only trying to protect me and the supplies."  
"She was an idiot," Teak spat, "thinking that if she laid down her life for a little pipsqueak like, he'd get to live. Maybe even win the Games. Well guess what? That's not going to happen."

"We'll see about that." Finnick threw the net at Teak before jumping off the branch and landing on his feet, like a cat. Teak jumped aside from the net and charged at Finnick with the knife in his hand. Finnick ducked out of the way, and Teak pursued him. Finnick tried knocking the knife out of Teak's hands with the trident, but Teak was able to dodge the swings of the trident. Teak may have been a tall boy, but he was as slippery as an eel. Every swing of a trident, and he was able to slink away before striking back with his knife. When Finnick collapsed near where his net had fallen, he grabbed it and tried throwing it at his opponent. Teak slinked away just in time before cornering the boy against the tree. Finnick watched as the knife got closer, but before it could harm him, he dove out of the way, sliding behind Teak. The knife jammed itself in the trunk of the tree, and before he could even react, Teak felt the heavy net descend over him.

Now pinned to the ground without a knife to cut him lose, Teak watched in fear as Finnick approached him with the trident.

"You're not gonna do that, are you," Teak pleaded, "seriously! I know we attacked your camp. And I'm really sorry for that. But I've got a sister back home I need to get back to. She needs me! She can't grow up without her big brother!"

"Delmara had a sister too, did you ever stop and think about that," Finnick asked, "and she wasn't some rich girl either. Her parents were poor fishermen and her sister suffers from memory loss. Did you ever stop and think before you killed her that she had a family back home that also depended on her to win? Did you?"

Teak fell silent, head bowed low. Finnick raised the trident and brought it down.

The sound of cannon fire rang in the enclosed Arena, followed by the triumphant boom of Claudius Templesmith's voice as he announced, "Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the Victor of the 59th Hunger Games... Finnick Odair of District 4!"

* * *

A/N: At first, I didn't know what to do with the theme of "stripes". And then I heard the old idiom "earn your stripes" and decided to base it on how Finnick earned his stripes as a Victor.

I have to agree with you too, AC. I'm not too fond of how Glitter died. It feels really out of character, and I don't like her dialogue. However, I also didn't have any other plans for her and I wanted a quick way to get rid of her.

I wrote this roster of who died in the course of the 59th Games as a reference, but I'm sharing it with you guys as an added bit of trivia. The names listed 14 and after are Bloodbath characters:

Order of the Games

Odair (Victor- D4)

2. Teak Inserra (D7)

3. Elmira Bixby (D7)

4. Neill Conagher (D10)

5. Hal Bozard (D3)

6. Octavia Tzu (D2)

7. Rhoda Marshall (D6)

8 .Quintus Sorensen (D2)

9. Pomona Grimes (D11)

10. Glitter Davidson (D1)

11. Sterling Edgerton (D1)

12. Till Carroway (D11)

13. Delmara Cortez (D4)

14. Tycho Antwiler (D5)

15. Caravan Whalley (D6)

16. Cordelia Odell (D3)

17. Serge Cabot (D8)

18. Lyric Foley (D12)

19. Aviva Dunham (D9)

20. Gossamer Lowell (D8)

21. Marie Heisenberg (D5)

22. Jane Lambert (D10)

23. Adlai Ryan (D12)

24. Rye Stimpson (D9- fun fact, he mentioned in the District 9 Reaping Chapter in 'Lost in the Darkness'. He was the boy who bullied the next year's tribute Pieter van der Merwe.)


	54. Chapter 54

Theme: 37. Eyes.

"Isn't this exciting," Mrs. Okpik said, beaming and watching as two workmen plastered an oversized poster to the outside wall of the bakery. Sedna, who was standing beside her, nodded as the poster was erected. Like the posters advertising the Victory Tour, this new edition was done in the minimalist Capital style. But unlike last year, which featured Ann Fukuro of District 1, this new poster showed District 4's newest celebrity. Homecoming Ceremony with Finnick Odair! Victor of the 59th Hunger Games, the poster declared. Finnick Odair looked up at the sky, a golden trident clutched in his tan hands, the customary gold Victor's Circlet crowning his head like a laurel reef. With his white linen suit and heroic stance, he looked less like a young boy and more like the heroes of Greek mythology. "I'm just so happy you kids will finally get to experience your first Homecoming Ceremony! It's one of those events that you just have to experience at least once."

They picked up their shopping bags and made their way through the market place. There was an aura of general good cheer in the District. The whole District was in a festive mood. Everyone looked so happy, so excited that one of their own was finally coming home. Cameramen from the Capital were up on the roofs of the buildings surrounding the square, setting up their equipment in anticipation of the upcoming Ceremony while work crews were hanging banners on the Justice Building. Teams of gardeners were carting boxes of flowers in full bloom and uprooted palm trees to plant around the square, to add color to the normally drab part of town.

"All eyes are going to be on District 4," Sedna noted, looking up at the mounted cameras. They were a common sight now. They hadn't been taken them down since Finnick and Delmara were sent to the Capital, and they were probably going to remain there for at least another few weeks.

"Indeed," Mrs. Okpik replied, "but that'll show the rest of Panem that District 4 still has it. We can still kick their asses."

"Mom," Sedna shouted, "language!"

Mrs. Okpik snorted, "Sedna, this is the Breck. Everyone curses here. You don't need to be prudish about it."

Sedna blushed. How embarrassing was it to be reprimanded by her own mother over whether or not it was okay to swear in public?

"I'm just trying to set an example," Sedna said, "I just never understood swearing in every other sentence. I just think we look immature when we do curse. Remember the last Victory Tour and how we managed to make that District 1 girl cry on stage? All the news coverage of that painted us as a bunch of savages."

"She shouldn't have killed Eric," Mrs. Okpik said, as if it was a fact. "Because there is one thing you should never do unless you have a death wish, and that is piss off District 4. We will revolt when angered. Moreover, this is how the Capital views us, those high-priced hoodlums. I can bet you your father's wages for the next month that all the other Districts understood our anger over seeing her killing their tributes. What was the body count again for her? Eight?"

"I think it was six," Sedna said.

"Probably was," Mrs. Okpik sighed. "Those 1 and 2 Careers always think that they can win if they kill the most tributes. What a bunch of show offs."

Up ahead, a little girl with dark, waist-length hair was standing up on her tip-toes and taking something down from the street lamp. When she managed to rip down the poster with little damage done, except for a couple of torn corners, she turned to see Mrs. Okpik and Sedna walking up to her.

"Hello, Annie," Mrs. Okpik greeted. "I see that you're excited for the Homecoming Ceremony."

Little Annie Cresta looked fearfully back at her neighbors. She let out a small shriek before taking off down the street, rolling up the huge poster in her small hands in the process, tripping on the oversized clogs on her feet.

"Do you think she's scared that we'll report her," Sedna asked.

"No, she's just startled," Mrs. Okpik said, laughing softly, "I don't think she expected to get caught. And she isn't the first person to take down a Victor poster. I remember when Athena Finn won her Games. Every boy in school wanted her picture. There were even fights breaking out during recess over who got to ask her out or who should ask her to marry him."  
"Really?"

"Oh yes," Mrs. Okpik said. "It happens every time we get a Victor. Or at least a good looking one. I doubt that this would happen if that Murdann girl won. But still, we finally get a Victor! Believe me, you are going to love Parcel Day. It'll be as if Christmas and your birthday came early!"


	55. Chapter 55

Theme: 90. Triangle

Sedna and her mother walked into their front yard, where they found Nini and two of her friends sitting on the porch. Nini was holding up a poster, and they were arguing loudly.

"He is so going to be my husband," Nini said, gazing longingly at Finnick's perfect face.

"Nu-uh," protested one of her friends, a girl named Catalina, trying to tear the poster away from Nini's hand. "He's gonna marry me. All the boys at school say I'm the prettiest."

"You're both wrong," interrupted Shelley, their other friend, "my mom says that a boys likes a girl with brains. And since I'm on the honor roll, that means he'll marry me!"

"That's crazy! Guys like a pretty girl better," Catalina protested.

"No one likes a bimbo," countered Shelley. "It's on the inside that counts, not the outside!"

"You wanna bet," Catalina snarled, raising her fist and preparing to strike a blow at Shelley. Nini grabbed her poster and ducked out of the way, her arms wrapped around the poster, protecting it as if it were a valuable treasure. Shelley lunged at Catalina, her hands grabbing into to Catalina's very long, plaited black hair.

"GIRLS!" Catalina, Shelley, and Nini all looked up from what was to be a nasty fight and found Nini's mother and older sister at the gate. Mrs. Okpik stood red faced and thoroughly embarrassed that her youngest daughter, the girly girl to Sedna's tomboy, would even think of engaging in roughhousing. And all over a boy now less! "Honestly, I thought your parents raised you better than calling names and fight over a poster."

"My dad gets into bar fights," Catalina said.

"And mine once broke my uncle's arm in a wrestling match," Shelley added.

"I don't care if your dads are saints," Mrs. Okpik said, "you both are acting like a couple of hoodlums! If I was your mother, I'd be ashamed to have raised such ill-mannered girls! Seriously. All eyes are going to be on us when Finnick comes back. Do you really want to behave like this in front of the rest of the country? Do you want Finnick seeing you act like this?"

Nini, Shelley, and Catalina crawled off of each other. Nini stared at her mother, terrified of what could happen next. Catalina bowed her head in shame, while Shelley began crying softly.

"I'm really sorry, Mrs. Okpik," Shelley apologized, "but Catalina started it."

"I don't care who started the fight, the way I see it, you're all guilty. Now you..." she pointed to Shelley, "and you..." at Catalina. "I want you both off of my porch and back to your houses. I hope you both think about what you've done."

Shelley and Catalina got off of the porch, muttering their good-byes and apologies to Nini, before walking out of the yard and back onto the road, where they began their journey home. Only Nini remained on the porch, still clutching the poster. "Am I going to be grounded," she squeaked.

"What? No, not you," Mrs. Okpik said, switching her tone from the harsh disciplinarian to the loving mother, "I didn't you fighting over Finnick. Although you did instigate the fight."

Nini bowed her head. "I deserve whatever punishment I'm get," she said solemnly. Sedna didn't know where to laugh at her sister's piety or feel sorry for her.

Mrs. Okpik slipped past the gate and sat down next to Nini. "Like I said, I'm not going to ground you, I'm just going to let you off with a warning," she said, "and the warning is to not get too wrapped up over all this boy drama. You're eleven years old and too young to think about getting married. It's better to wait until high school. But if I catch you and your friends beating each other up and calling each other names, I will have to ground you. That's just not a polite thing to do."

Nini nodded her head and walked into the house, taking the poster with her, her head bowed down in shame. Mrs. Okpik sighed and looked up at Sedna, who stood at the fence. "I am so thankful I never had to deal with this drama with you," she said in a hoarse voice.

* * *

A/N: Once again, another tricky theme. This time, I decided to base it on a rather unconventional love triangle.


	56. Chapter 56

Theme: 31. Flowers

"C'mon Seddie, I wanna get a good spot at the train station," Nini shouted. She pushed through the throngs of people making their way to the train station to welcome back their new Victor. In her arms was a large bouquet of flowers picked from their mother's flower beds. Sedna followed closely after her, trying not to lose sight of the little girl as they swam through the sea of people. Somewhere behind them was their mother, father, and Arnook.

Nini darted through the gaps in the crowd before getting to the guard rail set up on the platform. "Seddie! I got us a spot! We can totally see the train come in."

Sedna squeezed past the crowd, apologizing this way and that for a stepped-on foot or an accidental jab in someone's ribs. "'Scuse me... sorry... coming through... need to find my pesky sister... sorry," she said before finally emerging from the crowd and taking her spot at Nini's side. Nini was grinning broadly, cradling the flowers in one arm, like a baby.

Sedna looked around and remarked, "it's like the entire District has come out today." Just a few feet down her left, she could see Dana Plymouth sitting on Barney Collin's shoulders, her hair wound up in an intricate coil with a long, curled length of black hair resting on her collar bone. She was talking to a sad-eyed Nettie, who was holding her sullen mother's hand. On her right, Nori was with her parents and younger brother and chatting with Skeezer and one of the Bay Boys while Erica stood off to the right of the Bay Boy, with her parents, scribbling something into her notebook.

Nini's friends, Catalina and Shelley, appeared, clutching flowers and a sign that read "WE LOVE FINNICK" in bold black letters. "I wanted to make it more colorful, but I was told I wasn't allowed to work on the sign during class," Shelley pouted, "and the general store's markers are too expensive."

"Don't worry, it's the thought that counts," Catalina said, pushing her long black hair over her shoulder before readjusting the floral skirt of her dress.

"If you want, you can have some of my flowers," Nini offered.

Shelley shook her head. "No thanks," she declined.

"The train's coming," Dana shrieked. Everyone looked up to see Dana Plymouth on Barney's shoulders, pointing to the horizon. A buzz of excitement rose from the crowd and everyone was pushing forward to get a better look at their new Victor. Sedna felt her breath being squeezed out of her as she was being pushed up against the guard rails.

"Oh my gosh, this is so exciting," Nini squealed.

All eyes were on the silver train as it pulled into the station. Everyone held their breath as it came to a stop and a porter in a blue and silver uniform appeared, pushing a set of steps up to the compartment door. When he was done, the porter gave a signal to the conductor. Within minutes, the door was sliding open.

Cheers erupted as Finnick Odair stepped forward onto the top step. He enthusiastically waved to the audience, who cheered even louder, before stepping off and walking up to the masses who came out to welcome him home. He shook hands with the enthusiastic crowd before pausing briefly to say a few words to Nettie Cortez and her mother. When he was done, Nettie threw her arms over Finnick's shoulders, but whatever she said was lost as everyone around her let out an "aww".

When Finnick came to the part of the guard rail where Sedna stood with her sister and her sister's friends, he looked at the sign and asked, "who wrote this?"

"I did," Shelley said. "I wanted to make it more colorful, but markers cost too much."

"Mind if I sign it?"

"Yes please!"

Finnick pulled a pen from his trouser pocket, uncapped it, and signed, "Love you too, Finnick Odair." Then he moved on to Catalina and Nini, who shoved the flowers into his arms. "These are lovely," he remarked, still smiling, "but not as lovely as you two."

"Thank you," Nini and Catalina chimed in unison. The two girls blushed and giggled. Then Catalina spoke up, "will you marry me?"

Finnick laughed, "I'm a little young to get married. Can you come back when I'm eighteen?"

Catalina beamed. "Of course! I'll totally wait for you."

Then Finnick moved on to Sedna. "I remember you," he exclaimed.

"Hello Finnick," Sedna said in a calm voice, "you must be excited to finally live with your family again."

"You wouldn't believe it," Finnick replied, grinning, "I can't believe you remember that."

"You're an unforgettable person," Sedna replied, "but still, it's good to see you back. It's great to see one of our own finally win."

"Thank you, Sedna Okpik," Finnick said before moving on to the next wellwisher.

Nini, Catalina, and Shelley stared at Sedna, eyes wide open and mouths agape.

"You know Finnick Odair," Nini asked, "how come you never told me?"

"I don't know him personally," Sedna said, "I only talked to him once."

"But you know him," Catalina squealed, "oh my gosh, Nini, you're sister is even cooler than I thought."


	57. Chapter 57

Theme: 69. Annoyance

On the Monday following a weekend marked by street parties and banquets held in honor of Finnick Odair's homecoming, Sedna found herself walking through the streets of District 4 early in the morning. Here and there she found random townsfolk lying in the street, with stinking of beer and vomit or stumbling back to their homes following a rowdy party the night before. Beer bottles littered the front lawns of some of the houses while their residents were sleeping it off in hammocks or on lawn chairs.

Or they were still awake, huddled around smoldering fire pits and drinking beer after beer or smoking from a single pipe before passing it on to the next person. That was what Sedna saw as she walked by Skeezer's house. Skeezer, Nori, and three of the Bay Boys were huddled around a burning fire pit and passing a glass pipe, puffing on it, before handing it off to the next person.

"Oh hey Sedna," Nori shouted, "you wanna join the party?"

"Nori, it's 5:30 in the morning. You have school in three hours," Sedna exclaimed.

Skeezer and Nori giggled. "Why bother with school when we're all on top of the world," Skeezer hooted. "Am I right, Boys?"

The other Bay Boys giggled in reply. Sedna rolled her eyes. "I have training, so I've gotta go."

"Ah don't go," two of the Bay Boys, a pair of identical twins that billed themselves as the Double Troubles, chimed in unison. "At least smoke this new herb Skeezer grew! It's awesome!"

"I call it 'Skeezer's Best Buddy,'" Skeezer said proudly, taking the glass pipe and taking a long draw before exhaling a puff of white smoke. "Because it is my best buddy! After you guys of course, 'cause I love you like that."

The group burst out into laughter, a couple of them wheezing as they laughed.

"I'm going to leave you guys to your little smoking party then," Sedna said, trying not to breathe in so much of the acidic smoke. With the others smoking and giggling, they didn't even notice when she finally left.

"Ah, you're no fun," Nori shouted, "you can't just train forever! You've gotta live a little!"

Sedna continued walking. Nori's words stung slightly, but she was able to brush it off. "I can't win the Hunger Games if I'm getting stoned all the time," Sedna thought, "that's not good. And besides, I can live it up when I actually survive those Games. Nori's just got to understand that."

It didn't get any better as she walked down the street. Here, the Lee's front yard looked like the aftermath of a winter storm, with torn, soggy streamers lying limply in the flower beds and from a lemon tree, overturned chairs, and a smoldering fire pit with glass bottles scattered on the lawn. Three doors down, she found Mr. Torrance slumped on his porch swing with empty beer cans lying at his feet. Next door, a partially dressed Raoul Cruz was lying in a hammock, with a girl she had never seen before draped across his chest, both fast asleep.

Sedna let out an exasperated sigh. She loved District 4, she loved the Breck. There was no where else in the world she wouldn't want to live in. With it's beaches, perfect sailing and surfing conditions, warm year-round weather, and the ability to keep a quarter of what they fish, District 4 might as well be the closest Panem has to paradise. Yet the people who lived here were acting like a bunch of drunken idiots.

"On the other hand, this is our first Victor in eighteen years," she thought, "at least it's better than last year when everyone was on the verge of mutiny."

The marketplace was no better than the Breck. There were more drunks out, trying to hold on to the tail end of the night's debauchery for as long as possible. Trash littered the street. Once or twice, someone would call out to her. "'Ey dere, gorgeous," one man slurred, "'ow 'bout you show dis stud a gooood time!"

Sedna quickened her pace, darting past the drunks, the over turned trash cans, the refuse littering the road until she reached the front gate of the Career Academy.

As always, the school was deserted. Sedna deposited her ditty bag in her locker before heading to the gym. There, she found Hosea getting the spears out. The other attendants were setting out the other racks of weapons and wheeling them to their appropriate stations.

"You're early," he remarked, looking up to see her walking towards him.

"What? You expect me to sleep in? Not on my watch," Sedna said, plucking one of the spears from the rack and balancing it on one hand.

"No, not really," Hosea admitted, "but we were told that due to the weekend's festivities, we might have a couple of absent students today. And with the parties going on all weekend... I live at the Academy full time and I could still hear what was going on in the square. I just figured at least a few kids will be absent."

"Not me," Sedna said, straddling the painted line. She shifted her weight onto her back leg, spear shaft balancing in her hand. Then she threw it. The spear hit the red bulls eye.

"Not bad," Hosea said, "but you must be getting bored with just throwing a spear at a stationary target."  
"A little. I really want to learn how to spear a tribute who is in motion," Sedna admitted.

"Great! We just ordered a moving target range. It's just like the one the Training Center in the Capital uses. And it's supposed to mimic a moving tribute! We should be getting it in by the end of the month."

"Awesome."

Overall, it should be shaping up to be a good week. District 4 won the Hunger Games, and the Career Academy was getting that moving target in a matter of weeks.

But then, after the first training period of the day, Sedna walked down the hallway to class like always. Although Mrs. Waverly, her new teacher for the school year, wasn't inside, she always left the door unlocked so that the students would come in and wait inside until class began. Sedna went inside and took to her assigned seat. Although the class size was much smaller now, the number dwindling down to five now that Coral and two of the boys were gone, somehow, someone had the bright idea to keep Sedna in the front and center of the classroom, sandwiched between Monica, Laguna, Frank Pescado the Mayor's son, and a girl named Tethys, whose goal in life revolved more around being Monica's best friend than being in the Hunger Games. Tethys followed Monica and Laguna like a puppy, doing everything she could to please them but never getting anything in return.

Today, Frank wasn't in the classroom. Either he was going to be late or was taking a day off. So instead, it was just Monica, Laguna, and Tethys sitting around, talking. At first, they spoke in low voices, but when they sat Sedna take her seat, they began to talk loudly.

"That last Hunger Games was a joke," Laguna groaned, "can you believe a fourteen year old won?"

"Not only that, look at what we got representing the girls," Monica said, "she didn't even put up a fight! And that Teak guy was like the same size as her. Maybe even smaller."

"She's from the Breck, what do you expect," Tethys said, mimicking Monica and Laguna's faux-Capital accents.

"You're right," Laguna agreed.

"What an embarrassment," Monica said, "and she got taken down that easily by someone who isn't even from a Career District." Monica turned and noticed Sedna sitting at her desk, eyes focused on the blackboard, waiting patiently for the bell to ring and for class to begin. "Why don't you quit now? You're only going to die just as quickly as the last girl who went into the Games if you stay. And no one is going to even want to sponsor you! You look like a boy with long hair!"

Sedna stared straight ahead. Don't react, don't give them the attention that they want, she thought, don't react, don't give them any attention. Just pretend they don't even exist.

"Just give up Okpik," Monica hissed, "you'll spare District 4 the embarrassment that way. There is no way a fisherman's kid is going to win, so why even try?"

Monica and her lackeys burst into laughter, as if she cracked a funny joke, but Sedna sat still in her seat.

Just ignore her, just ignore her, just ignore her, she mentally repeated to herself over and over again until it turned into a mantra. Just ignore her, just ignore her. She is just a pest. Just an annoying little thing that won't go away no matter how hard to try. So the only thing you can do for now is to ignore her.


	58. Chapter 58

Theme: 12. Insanity

In March, halfway between the Victory Tour and Reaping Day, the Academy hosts a Q & A session with the District 4 Victors. The purpose of this is so that the students may learn from those who have been in the Arena and who lived to tell the tale.

The students all file into the auditorium, while the District 4 Victors are seated on the stage, behind a table set up for them, laden with microphones. All together, there are six Victors who are still alive. Mags, who is in her eighties and has to be supported by a cane and by her daughter, who is also a Victor, and the mother of Ariel and Eric. There is Phineas Davenport, who is tall, blonde, and handsome and not as arrogant as his daughter, although he flaunts his fame more than the others. Following Phineas is Ummi. Fat, awkward Ummi who is known to stare off into space and who can't remember anyone's names. The next Victor is a man named Kai, who man in is mid-thirties whom everyone agrees throws the best parties and who is the most fun to be around, but always a terrible mentor. He had yet to bring a tribute back alive and was now banned from the Capital following a "drunken incident". And last, but not least, was District 4's wonderboy, Finnick Odair, who had just turned fifteen.

After the headmaster got up and made a speech that no one in the room was listening to because they had heard it so many times before, the students were invited to stand up and ask the Victors a question.

The first person to ask a question was Ariel. As soon as she stood up, Ummi began to smile and wave towards Ariel. "Hello, my little mermaid," she called out, to the embarrassment of the other Victors. Kai took her hand and placed it back on the table, whispering to her. Several students in the audience began to giggle and Mags shot them a dirty took, as if daring them to laugh at her again.

"I know you told me this before, but this is for everyone else in the audience," Ariel began, "but what do you think is the best strategy for surviving the Bloodbath."

Mags leaned over to the microphone, "well, I tell this to every one of the tributes I mentor. I tell them to join a Career alliance, because they are always the ones who lay claim on the Cornucopia first. Because you all have been training so much, you will be able to get there more quickly than the others and to immediately start defending it. And as long as you join the Careers, your chances of surviving the first day are doubled."

The next person to ask a question was a young man with a jagged burn scar covering the entire right-hand side of his face. When Sedna saw that, she wondered what had happened to him for him to receive it.

"Hi," the boy began, "my name is Aldo, and-"

"Don't you think he looks like the Beast," Ummi whispered to Finnick, who was looking throughout embarrassed.

"Ummi, it's not a good idea to call Aldo a Beast," Finnick whispered back, "he's really sensitive about that scar."

Aldo raised his hand and covered his burned face, "like I was saying. The Games really emphasize on beauty. And I've noticed that the tributes who get more sponsor gifts tend to be, um... how should I put this... better looking than your average guy. What should someone who isn't beautiful or who might has a physical deformity do?"

"Well, Aldo," Mrs. Finn said, "first off, I think you are a handsome young man. And the second is that, if I was your mentor, I would emphasize the scar. I would tell the sponsors that if you can survive a fire, then you can survive anything. And I should mention, there are girls in the Capital who love scars and who would sponsor you in a heartbeat. But let me just say, let us worry about getting the sponsors and you worry about surviving."

Aldo grinned broadly, probably more so because it was likely the first time in his life he was called 'handsome', "Thank you, Mrs. Finn. I take that as a compliment from someone who gave us such a hot daughter."

Everyone in the audience burst out laughing. Ariel and Mrs. Finn looked really embarrassed by Aldo's comment. The next trainee, a twelve year old girl with flowing, blonde hair that flowed out to her waist, stood up. Ummi turned to Kai and whispered, "oh my gosh! It's Rapuzel!"

"Hi," the girl squeaked into the microphone, "my name is Pearl. And I really want to volunteer soon. When is a good age to do that?"

"Well, Pearl," Finnick said, "it really depends on whether or nor you are ready to compete."

Mags added, "the average age is usually between sixteen to eighteen years old. But as Finnick said, it depends on whether or not you are ready to go into the Games. If I were you, I would practice every day and wait until you are at least sixteen. Also, one more thing. If I were you, I would keep your hair pinned up very tightly or to just cut it off before entering the Games. Long hair as proven to be a disaster for some of the past tributes, so consider that to be a safety measure."

Sedna leaned over to Ariel, who was sitting just in front of her. "You grew up with Ummi as a neighbor, is she usually this crazy," Sedna asked, "she's naming everyone after a fairytale character. It's a little creepy."

"It's just Ummi," Ariel said, "she- she is a couple of fish short of a shoal, as Grandma says. We think it's because of how she won her Games. Like, she went crazy."

"I get the insanity part, but what's with the fairy tales," Sedna whispered.

Ariel just shrugged her shoulders, "I think it's Ummi's way of remembering things. I'm not sure how it works. But I'm guessing she sees the world like a fairy tale land. And she's able to remember people if they remind her of certain characters."

"That's terrible."

"It is. But it's better than turning into an alcoholic, or being a shut in. And I think the fairy tale aspect lends a certain charm to Ummi. It makes her... quirky."

"It's still terrible though."

"Yeah, it is, but there's nothing anyone can to do fix it. She's going to be a crazy person for the rest of her life."


	59. Chapter 59

Theme: 11. Memory

Sedna came home from the Academy early to find her mother in the living room, arranging framed photographs on the wall that faced the front of the house. When she stood at the front door, she was met with the a collage of photographs that covered the white-washed boards.

"Doing some redecorating," Sedna asked. Mrs. Okpik stood still, her head turning to see her daughter at the door.

"Sedna! I didn't expect to see you home so early," she remarked.

"School let out early for a staff meeting," Sedna explained. She walked up to her mother and checked out the progress she was making. "This is all really nice. Have you been working on this all morning?"

"Pretty much," Mrs. Okpik confirmed, placing another framed photograph on the wall before taking a step back and admiring her redecoration. The wall was now covered in old photos, boxed medals, and other family heirlooms. "I was cleaning out our room and found a lot of these old pictures in a trunk in the closet. I think they're all from your great-grandmother's time. Though your father's stuff also got mixed in there as well."

Sedna had never met her great-grandmother, her mother's grandmother. The lady known to the family as 'Nanny Esperanza' passed away many years before Sedna was born, but she had grown up on stories of how she raised her granddaughter and three grandsons on her own after their parents drowned in a flood without any help, how she smuggled food from the wilds after the electric fence was put up around District 4, and of the stories she would tell of her parent's lives prior to the Dark Days.

One of the more prominent portraits on the wall was a black and white photograph of a lovely young woman with Mrs. Okpik's round face and curly dark hair, her dark eyes bright and sparkling as she gazed up at the camera.

Sedna pointed to that photograph. "Is that Nanny Esperanza," she asked.

Mrs. Okpik smiled. "Yes, when she was a young woman. She said she saved her money up for months to take that portrait and send it to her lover so he wouldn't forget her face. He was working on a railroad project that connected District 4 to the Capital and had been away from home for a year."

"That's kind of romantic," Sedna said. She then pointed to a group of medals encased in a wooden shadow box. "I've never seen those medals before. They don't look like the ones Mayor Pescado issues if you die on your job. I don't see the Capital Eagle on them."

"That's because they were issued before there was a Panem," Mrs. Okpik confirmed, "if memory serves me correctly, those medals were issued to one of my ancestors for his service during World War II."

She leaned in closely, reading the brass plaque bolted to the wooden frame. "Santiago J. Valencia, United States Army Air Forces. 1919-2003," she read. Then she looked up at the eight medals, neatly arranged in rows of two. The medals included one bronze cross hanging from a blue and white ribbon, a brass cross with a red white and blue striped ribbon, a purple heart, and a bronze sun with an eagle dangling from a blue and gold ribbon. "I don't know what they all mean, but they are proof that your ancestor was a soldier and a damn good one for that matter."

Sedna looked around the memory wall her mother had made. Here and there, she found spotted some familiar photographs: her parents on their wedding day, them standing in front of their house with an infant Sedna in Mrs. Okpik's arms, followed by a progression of updated portraits that included a newborn Arnook and Nini, and their most recent portrait, taken just after Nini turned ten. And then there were the photographs she didn't know they had until now. There was Mrs. Okpik's parents wedding day, and a photograph of her when she was a young girl, as well as one of Mr. Okpik as a teenager, looking very much like Arnook now, as he stood on the beach, flexing his muscles and flashing a goofy grin at the camera. There were her father's parents as newlyweds with a young son, as well as portraits of their families.

Much rarer, though, were the photos from the pre-Dark Days. There were some distant ancestors, clad in heavy coats lined with furry hoods standing on a snowy mountain range, and a pair of young girls who resembled Nini in peasant blouses and embroidered, colorful skirts in the middle of a dance. There was another family, the mother bearing a strong resemblance to Mrs. Okpik, standing in front of some-now lost amusement park.

"Who is that," Sedna asked, pointing to a portrait of a young woman in a white dress uniform with medals pinned to her breast and a white sailors cap perched on her head. With her long nose, hard face, dark skin, and black hair tied back in a bun, she might as well have been Sedna in a previous time.

"That..." Mrs. Okpik paused, thinking hard for a moment, trying to remember who this woman is. "I think she is one of your father's ancestors. I think she's your great-grandmother times at least five."

"She looks just like me," Sedna noted. "She's got my face and hair!"

"She does have an uncanny resemblance to you," Mrs. Okpik noted. "Your father mentioned her once. I think her name was Sarah. And she was an officer in the United States Navy. But that's all I know."

Sedna gazed at Sarah's portrait, fascinated by this woman who looked so much like her. "Are there any other soldiers in our family," she asked.

Mrs. Okpik shrugged her shoulders. "I would assume so. The problem is that there really isn't any other record of them. All I have are the medals and the photographs to go by. I assume the rest were lost in the disasters or during the Dark Days."

"That's a shame," Sedna lamented, "I would have loved to hear more about them."

"Me too," Mrs. Okpik sighed. "But you should take pride in what we do know. You are descended from two national heroes, and, if your father's stories are credible, several Indian chiefs and warriors."

"So I come from two families that boasted warriors, soldiers, and some chiefs," Sedna asked.

"Pretty much," Mrs. Okpik looked over to her and smiled, "not a lot of people can say that about their families. I guess you can call yourself lucky."

She walked out of the room, leaving Sedna to look back on the portrait of Sarah in her naval uniform and the medals Santiago earned. I come from two lines of warriors, she thought. This would be a fact to be proud of, but instead, she felt scared. What if she couldn't hold herself up against the naval officer, the war hero, and the unnamed but countless generations of ancestors who achieved their greatness in the battlefield and on the home front?

No, she thought, shoving that negative idea to the back of her head. No negative thoughts, Sedna. Negativity never got anyone anywhere. Then she looked up at the wall.

"I'm going to do you both proud," Sedna said aloud, to no one in particular, "I will not shame this family. I don't want to be labeled as a coward or a weakling. I'm going to be great, just like you."


	60. Chapter 60

Theme: 55. Waiting

Another year, another Reaping, Sedna thought to herself, softly sighing as she opened up her dresser drawer and pulled out her only good outfit. The striped blouse and navy blue skirt that was previously reserved for Reaping Day no longer fit her. She had gained so much muscle from the past year of training that the skirt threatened to split at the seams if she sat down while the blouse sleeves tightly constricted her arms and torso. Instead, her new Reaping clothes consisted of a floor length, sea-green skirt with a ruffled hem and a creamy singlet with a crocheted neckline and cloth-covered buttons on the front that had one belonged to her mother.

Behind her, Nini was whistling a jaunty tune as she pulled on her older sister's old blouse and skirt. The lemon-yellow frock that she had so despised no longer fit her and had since been given away to the Cresta's next door, who had a little girl of their own.

"Are you volunteering this year," Nini asks when she is done, turning around to find Sedna laying the skirt and singlet on the bed before putting them on.

"No, Nini," Sedna said, "not for another year. Remember?"

"Sorry. I guess I just forgot," she apologized. When she was done getting dressed, Nini asked, "can you do my hair?"

"Sure. Why not."

Sedna picked up the hairbrush from the top of the dresser and began running it through Nini's thick black curls. "What style do you want today? Ponytail? Bun?"

"Braids, just like yours," Nini said.

"Two braids coming right up," Sedna said, splitting her younger sister's hair into two before braiding one half of it from the crown of her head down to the tips, where she tied off the plait with a bit of ribbon Nini held in her hand. Then she went to work on the other one.

"Do you think Monica's gonna volunteer," Nini asked, "because if she doe,s you should volunteer and run up to the stage before she gets a chance to."

"I doubt it," Sedna replied as she twisted the bits of hair into a braid, "knowing Monica, she's going to bide her time. Her dad won the Games when he was seventeen, so it's likely Monica's going to do the same. Like father, like daughter. But if she does volunteer, then I think I will too. Although it's very unlikely. There's a lot of girls who have been training. Chances are one of them will volunteer before Monica even gets the chance."

"I hope she doesn't volunteer," Nini said, "I want my sister around for a little longer."

"Well, I'm touched by that," Sedna said, smiling, as she tied off the braid, twisting the ribbon and tying it off in a bow. "Ok, done."

Nini reaches up and strokes one of the braids with her fingers. Smiling, she turned around and gave Sedna a tight hug. "Thank you," she said.

Two loud bangs on their closed bedroom door sounded, followed by their father saying, "alright girls, wrap up what you're doing in there and let's get a move on. We can't be late to the Reapings or else the Peacekeeper's will be on our tail!"

The girls picked up their shoes from the floor and darted out of their room, through the house, and out into the front yard where the rest of the family waited for them.

Like every other year, the town square was buzzing with activity. After bidding their parents a goodbye, with promises to meet up again after the Reaping Ceremony was over, Sedna, Arnook, and Nini lined up for check in before joining their peers in the appropriate age groups. As she waited, Nini hopped impatiently from one foot to the other, gnawing on her nails in anticipation.

"Nini, don't do that. Mom says it'll ruin your teeth," Sedna reminded her. Nini took her fingers out of her mouth and replied, "I can't help it. I'm too nervous. What if I get picked?"

"You're not gonna get picked," Sedna replied, "it's only your first year. Your name's only been in there once. And even if you did get Reaped, someone is going to take your place. I guarantee that."

When Nini got to one of the tables, the Peacekeeper, the one Sedna instantly recognized as Heifer, the fat guy from District 10, took a blood sample from her, checked the sample against a scanner, and waived her through. The same process was repeated with Sedna. Before joining the girls grouped into the seventeen-year-old's section, Nini gave her a tight hug before joining the flock of twelve-year-olds gathered at the very front, where she was greeted by two other, nervous looking girls.

"Hey, Seddie, I saved ya a spot," Nori hollered, waving her arms from where she stood. All the better to be seen, Sedna thought. She slipped through the crowd of girls and joined Nori by her side.

The Reaping Ceremony begins with the same routine. Mayor Pescado drones on about the Dark Days and the events that led to the Hunger Games being instituted as punishment for the Districts having the nerve to rebel against the Capital. Then the video that explains the same thing. And finally, he reads off the list of past District 4 Victors. When he reaches Finnick Odair's name, all the girls let out a chorus of cheers, "I love you, Finnick", and several marriage proposals. Finnick just smiles from his place on the stage and waves at them, causing more girls shriek in delight. A couple of them even swoon.

Sedna and Nori just snicker at the overreaction.

Then that freakishly dressed Madelyna stepped up to the microphone. "Ladies first!" she chirps in that obnoxious Capital accent. As she fishes for a slip of paper out of the Reaping bowl set before her, all Sedna could think of was how, after today, she had one more year to train. One more year of training until she can volunteer and usurp Monica from the place she rightfully didn't deserve.

"Ariel Finn," Madelyna shrieks out.

A hush settles over the crowd. Sedna snapped out of her thoughts. A tall, gorgeous girl with thick red hair tied back with a green ribbon stepped out of the sixteen-year-old section and walked up to the stage with her head held up high, wearing a confident smile. When she reaches the stage, Madelyna asks for volunteers but no one comes forward.

"Aren't there any eighteen-year-olds planning on doing this," Nori whispered.

Sedna shook her head. "Doubt it. I've seen her train and she definitely stands a chance in the Arena. And with her mom and grandma being Victors, I don't think anyone will want to try and steal their glory."

"Yeah, but still," Nori said, "she's only sixteen."

"Finnick was fourteen when he won his Games."

"True," Nori sighed, watching as Madelyna moved on to picking a boy tribute. The unlucky kid is a boy named Harold Fishbin, a kid of thirteen with platinum blonde hair that shimmers like a precious metal in the sunlight. Sedna vaguely knew of his family. His father is a ship's captain her father once served under, many, many years ago. But that was all she knew.

As with Ariel, Madelyna asked for volunteers but no one stepped forward. Harold screamed, "please, someone volunteer!"

But no one came forward.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Nori whispered, "look at him! He has 'bloodbath' written all over him."

Despite being a captain's son, Harold was small and punny, with skinny arms and skinny legs that have never known what it was like to hold a weapon.

Sedna peered over at the boy's section but no one there moves a muscle. "What a bunch of weenies," she remarked. "Seriously, just because Ariel is going into the Games doesn't mean all the eighteen-year-olds get to wimp out at the last minute."

"Maybe they're all afraid of getting their asses handed to them by Ariel," Nori suggested, "she has a really good pedigree for a Victor."

Sedna smiled. "You're right. Poor Harold though. That kid doesn't stand a chance."

With no one going forward to volunteer for Harold Fishbin, Madelyna makes District 4's newest tributes shake hands before they are escorted off the stage. With the Reaping over, everyone disperses from the roped off pen they have been held up in and goes out to rejoin their families. That is, except Sedna. She just stands at her spot, staring at the stage.

"One more year," she said quietly. "Just one more year and I'll be standing on that stage."

"Sedna, where are you," a woman's voice calls out. A voice she recognizes as that of her mother.

"I'm right here," Sedna yelled, never taking her eyes off of the stage. In her head, the words "one more year" keeps being repeated over and over again like a tape on loop.

"There you are," Mr. Okpik said, "we couldn't find you in the hoard at first. Didn't realize you were still standing here."

"Well, I was," she admitted.

Mrs. Okpik looked from her oldest daughter to the stage and back at Sedna. "Sedna, the Reapings are over. Just try and enjoy the rest of the day. You can obsess about training for the Games tomorrow."

"C'mon, Seddie, the festivities are starting up now," Nini said, taking her hand and yanking her away from the town square, diverting Sedna's gaze from the stage.

Sedna found it difficult to enjoy the annual festival that followed the Reaping ceremony. While her family and friends enjoyed the free food, the dancing, and the music provided by local musicians, she took off from the party and walked down to the deserted beach, plopping down on the sand and staring off into the waves in the distance.

It was hours before someone was sent out to go and find Sedna, because it was late afternoon when she heard someone calling out her name.

"Yo, Sedna! Where are you," Nori hollered from one of the cliffs that boarded the expansive stretch of beach. "Your mom's flipping out right now, so show your face or else she's gonna get another panic attack!"

"I'm on the beach," Sedna shouted as loudly as she could, her eyes never taking off from the sea.

Minutes later, Nori walked up from behind and sat down next to her on the sand. "So this is where you've been?"

"Yep."

"Not really in the mood to party?"

"Nope."

"Any reason why?"

"I just can't help but think that I'm going to volunteer next year," Sedna said. "It feels like that day keeps creeping closer and closer. And, pardon the cliché, but it feels like only yesterday that me and Coral were watching the Hunger Games together."

"Yeah, time is weird like that," Nori agreed. "It has a funny way of going too fast or going too slow."

"And the next thing I know, it'll be next year and I'll be volunteering," Sedna sighed. She stared out at the ocean, her chin resting on her drawn-up knees. "Just one more year to prepare. I just hope I'm ready when the time comes."

She felt a warm arm drape itself around her body, drawing her close to Nori. "I think you will. You just need to continue working hard and kicking ass so that way, I can watch you on TV, winning the Games, and have the honor of screaming to everyone in hearing distance that that's my best friend up on the screen being the newest Victor."

Sedna broke off from her gaze and looked at Nori, smiling. "Thanks."

"No probs." Nori slapped a big, callused hand on Sedna's back. "Now let's go back to the festivities before they get turned into a search party."


	61. Chapter 61

Theme: 8. Innocence

"Oh gosh, look at that little girl. And to think she's going to have to go into these Games," Mrs. Okpik sighed sadly. Sedna and her family were sitting around the television, watching the pre-Game interviews. The tribute from District 3, a girl of twelve, pranced onto the stage in a tutu-like dress. With it's sunshine yellow color and frills, it reminded Sedna of the dress Nini would wear on special occasions. In fact, with the girl's age, her dark hair, and her dress, she might as well be Nini.

"Hello Caesar," the little tribute chimed, taking a seat on the empty chair pushed up next to Casear. This year, he dyed his hair a dusky purple with his face made up in stormy gray makeup. The whole effect reminded Sedna of a dark, winter storm.

As Caesar asked her how she feels about being one of the youngest tributes, the girl flutters her eyelashes. "It is sad but you know it is so beautiful here and the entire Capital just leaves me in awe. You all are so lucky to live here!"

Caesear laughs and continues, "what is your favorite part?"

The girl gasps. "I can't choose! Everything I guess," she says, smiling.

"That poor girl, she's in denial," Sedna muttered sadly. "She probably knows she is going to die and is trying to make the best of it."

"That's really brave of her," Nini said, "if that was me, I'd be crying on the stage."

"But you might get sponsors," Sedna said, "everyone can take pity on you and want to sponsor you."

When asked about her family, the girl, Katie, replied sadly, "they died in a fire a while back and I have lived in a community center. It is hard but you know just got to make it through the day."

"That poor girl," sighed Mrs. Okpik, "to lose her family and now end up in the Games. That is an awful life."

"Do you think she is a Bloodbath," Arnook asked.

"She might get lucky," Mr. Okpik noted.

"But not by much. No twelve-year-old has won the Hunger Games," Sedna said as a matter of fact, watching as Katie curtsied to the audience before skipping off the stage.

As the parade of tributes continued, Arnook muttered under his breath every time the female tributes show up, "mega hot... looks like a dude... mega hot... kinda hot... jailbait... jailbait... sort of hot."

"Arnook, cut it out," Sedna said.

"I can't help it," Arnook shrugged. On screen, the audience was chanting "Wolff! Wolff! Wolff" as the male tribute from 10 walked off the stage.

"Well, keep it to your self. It's kind of immature of you to rank the female tributes on hotness."

Arnook sulked, watching as the District 11 girl emerged on the stage in a sleeveless green gown. "But they are cuter than last year's female tributes."

"You know who probably also rates the female tributes on hotness," Sedna asked, "the Capital. And maybe District 1. You wanna be like them?"

"No," Arnook grumbled. Then, in a bid to annoy his sister, he took one look at the District 11 tribute and said, "I'd totally go out with her!"

"Dang it, Arnook!"

"What? I would! If she lived in 4!"

Out of the twenty-four tributes Reaped for the 60th Hunger Games, three of them were only twelve years old. Although she had seen twelve-year-olds Reaped into the Games before, they never go far. By the end of the week, they were usually dead.

On the day of the start of the Games, Sedna watched, from the town square with her family, Nori, and Skeezer, as the tributes emerged into the Arena on the mine-like pedestals from the Stockyard underneath. When the gong sounded, they began rushing towards the Cornucopia, save a few who began fleeing down the hill and into the woods below.

Sedna winced as the boy from District 6 collapsed to the ground, an arrow embedded in his chest, and the girl from 12 taking a trident in the stomach from Ariel Finn. These were sights that she, no matter what, would never get used to. They were just kids, being brutally taken down just so some bigger, older tribute would get a chance to go home.

"When I go into the Games, I won't kill a twelve-year-old," Sedna thought, "they're just too innocent."


	62. Chapter 62

Theme: 45. Illusion

"You know," Nori began, watching the Hunger Games from her living room television set, "now that I think of it, that District 5 girl looks a lot like Erica."

"Say what," Erica asked, emerging from the kitchen with a glass of water. She plopped down on the sofa, between Skeezer and Sedna.

On TV, the camera was on the District 5 girl as she walked through the forest. As she wasn't running any more, and as it was now the second day of the Games, with the alliances settled and making camp, it was easier for the cameras to focus on her face. She looked up at the sky as she walked.

"I can see the resemblance," Sedna said, "similar height and build, same hairstyle..."

Erica nervously reached up and stroked her own closely cropped, black hair.

"Big, nerdy glasses."

Erica's hands flew to the sides of her head, touching the thick black frames. "Ohh... fuuck," she squeaked.

"The only difference is that she never talks," Sedna pointed out. "But other than that, you two have a really uncanny resemblance. You two can pass for twins."

"Fuck me with Finnick's trident," Erica shouted. She jumped from the couch, knocking down her glass of water. "I'm fucking out of here."

She stumbled over Nori's outstretched legs and ran out the front door. Nori turned to the open door as it banged shut. "What's her problem? I only invited her to watch the Games. Sedna, what'd you do to her?"

"Excuse me," Sedna asked defensively, leaning forward and staring Nori in the eye, "I didn't do anything? At least, I don't think so. Nori, you go to school with her. Does she always overreact to teasing?"

Nori shook her head, "no. At least, I don't think so. If anything, no one's dared teasing her since she kicked this one guy in the bobbers a few years back."

"She did look freaked out though," Skeezer said, "she started panicking the moment you guys mentioned that the District 5 girl looks just like her."

"Do you think Erica's afraid of clones," Nori asked.

Sedna shrugged her shoulders, "you wanna go ask? She lives down the street."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Sedna and Nori walked up the street to where Erica lived. Her house stood out from the rest because her mother would hang wind chimes and netted, glass floats from the wooden rafters of the arbor. Sunlight caught in the glass balls cast colorful bits of light against the white clapboard walls and on the battered deck. Sedna walked up and began knocking on the door.

It unlocked, opening to revealing Erica's mother.

"Hey Mrs. Lee, is Erica home," Sedna asked.

"I thought she was watching the Hunger Games with you," Mrs. Lee asked.

"We're just looking for her," Nori said.

"Well, I don't even know if she's home. She's usually at the lib-" Mrs. Lee was cut off by a loud bang coming from one of the front rooms, followed by a loud, "ah! Fuck me with the tentacles of a Kraken!"

Mrs. Lee turned back to Sedna and Nori. "She's in her room. First door on my right." She stepped aside, allowing Sedna and Nori to come inside. Sedna grasped the door knob and opened it. Erica's back was turned to the open door, one hand gripping her hair, the other flipping through a book on the desk.

"I'm gonna leave you three alone," Mrs. Lee said, "it looks like she's in one of her brainstorming sessions again. I'd be a little cautious if I were you."

Sedna and Nori stepped inside the crowded bedroom, but found themselves only able to stand in a small, clear patch of carpet. The room was filled with books. Stacks of books and papers were piled everywhere. On the floor, on the desk, on the chair, in makeshift shelves made from wood scraps and cinder blocks. The only space that was considered to be book free was the bed, which was currently occupied by a fat, sleeping, black and white cat.

"Ok, the library can have my books," Erica muttered to herself. "Parents can have the cat, they're gonna need him. Clothes can go to the neighbors... now that I think of it, I really don't have that much stuff."

"Erica," Nori said.

"This isn't a good time. It's only a matter of time before the shit hits the fan," Erica said frantically. She started digging through the pile of papers on her desk, really an old table. "Cudcrap, where's my journal?"

"Erica, what the heck is going on," Sedna said, "one moment, we're watching the Games, and the next, you act as if we're on the verge of another Dark Days! What's going on?"

"Going on?" Erica stopped rummaging through the desk. She stood still, her hands placed on the desk top. "Going on? I'll tell you what's going on. It's only a matter of days before I end up dead."

Nori gave Sedna a confused look.

"Dead? That's ridiculous," Sedna said, "how do you even know this? This is crazy talk."

"Crazy talk," Erica laughed, turning around to face the two girls in her room. "This isn't crazy talk. I just saw my doppelganger on TV! It's an omen of death!"

"A doppelganger," Sedna asked, a confused look on her face. "I've never heard of the word."

"Me neither," Nori admitted, "Erica, are you sure this isn't something you made up? Because I seem to remember you won a writing contest at school for this story about a guy who sees his clone everywhere and he thinks it's trying to kill him."

"I'm not making this up, Nori. It's all true." Erica crouched down by one of the stacks of books and began searching through the title. "Here it is. 'Encyclopedia of the Supernatural'."

She cracked the heavy book bound in a worn, faded cover open and began thumbing through the pages. "Let's see, demon... dhampir... djinn... doppelganger! Derived from a German word meaning "double walker", a doppelganger is a supernatural copy of a living person. Should someone see their doppelganger, it is a omen signaling their impending death."

Sedna and Nori stood in stunned silence, unsure if they should believe Erica. "Are you sure that book is to be believed," Nori asked.

Erica pushed her glasses up on her nose and began scrolling her finger down the page. "It is widely believed that doppelgangers exist," Erica read aloud. "Over the centuries, sightings of doppelgangers have been reported by people both ordinary and famous." She shut her eyes and the book and began rattling off, "They're not all listed in this book. But I do know that in 1612, English poet John Donne sees a copy of his wife holding a baby. He later finds out she gave birth to a stillborn baby. 1822, English poet Percy Bysshe Shelly sees his doppelganger while on holiday in Italy. Shortly afterward, he drowned in the Mediterranean. 1865, President Abraham Lincoln reports seeing his double image reflected in mirrors. In spring of that same year, he was assassinated. 1900, King Umberto I of Italy is eating at a restaurant when he notices that the owner looks exactly like him. Upon talking to the owner, they learn that no only were they born on the same day in the same town, they were both in the army, got married on the same day to women named Margherita and have sons named Vittorio. Also, when King Umberto was crowned, the other Umberto opened his restaurant. The next day, King Umberto I was assassinated by an anarchist the same day the other Umberto was killed in a shooting accident."

Erica opened her eyes and looked fearfully up at Sedna and Nori, "now do you believe me?"

"You actually memorized doppelganger sightings," Nori asked, "that's really impressive."

"Ugh! You don't get it," she said, "I just saw my doppelganger! That means I'm going to die. Now if you excuse me, I've got some more reading to do. If I'm lucky, maybe I can find a way to postpone my death. If you need me, I'll be at the library."

Erica picked up a book bag that was hanging from her chair and slung it over her shoulder. As she walked out the front door of her house, she turned to Sedna and Nori and said, "by the way, when I die, Nori, I have a book of stories about famous surfers. You can have it. I think you might like it. Sedna, I've got an encyclopedia on warriors from around the world. It's really old and outdated, but you'll like it. Especially the part on the Spartans. And tell Arnook and Nini they can pick out a book too. I don't know what they like, so I can't recommend anything."

"I'm telling you, Erica's got it all wrong," Nori said as she and Sedna returned to the O'Reilly household. Skeezer was passed out on the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table. The television was still on. "Come next year, she's going to be alive and well and feeling really stupid about this whole doppelganger business."

"Yeah, and who knows if those people actually existed," Sedna said, "I've never heard of them before. You?"

"How should I know," Nori remarked, plopping down on the overstuffed, ratty armchair facing the television. Sedna followed suit on the sofa.

On screen, the alliance consisting of the boys from 3, 5, and 12 were exploring a tomb. The boy from 5 started freaking out when he realized that one of the bodies enclosed in the glass coffin before them was of his brother.

"They're messing with our heads," the boy from 3 says. "And it is working," he whispers grimly.

The boy from 5 began running out of the tomb, pushing his torch in to the District 3 boy's hands before emerging to the surface. It was raining heavily now, his hair sticking to his face in stringy locks. As he is walking, he suddenly falls to the ground as if he was pushed from behind. And as it turned out, he was when he falls over, revealing the District 3 girl, the little, innocent child in the sunny dress from a few nights ago.

Katie, the District 3 girl, steps forward and presses a sharp and pointy object into the District 5 boy's arm. The boy pushes her away when he sees her holding something in the air. The camera zooms in on this object, which is revealed to be a syringe. But as he stands up, he begins stumbling over before collapsing face down on the mud.

Sometime later, the camera cut to the District 5 boy as he slowly came to. He was lying on the floor, shirtless, and bound up in ropes. Katie loomed over him with a dagger in her hands. "I was hoping Micro would come out but I figured you would work to," she whispered. The boy from 5 began struggling when he saw the dagger.

"Pretty, right? I was able to steal some supplies from the careers while they were gone hunting. Didn't even get a single kill though," Katie says, rolling her eyes. Sedna felt sick watching this little girl acting so sadistically. How can a child so young, so adorable, act like this? "How do you like the needle idea? I was so ecstatic when I saw it and was hoping it was poison but it ended up making you pass out long enough for me to drag you here and tie you up."

The boy began to scream, but his sounds was muffled by the t-shirt stuffed into his mouth. But Katie continued talking. "I think it is something new. Well, no time to waste before those two idiots catch up to us."

And with that, Katie picked up the knife and began running the knife along the boy's arm. A trail of blood began to emerge in its wake.

"Turn off the tv," Nori begged, "I feel like I'm gonna be sick!"

Sedna picked up the remote and tried turning off the television. Katie, meanwhile, was continuing her torture on the District 5 boy. "I can't," Sedna said, "it won't let me."

She leaned forward and turned the dial but every channel she turned to continued to air Katie's torture session.

"I'm out of here," Nori said, jumping out of her seat and running towards the door. Sedna followed suit. When she got outside, she found Nori throwing up into a trash can. "That was the sickest thing I've ever seen. I can't believe they actually aired that!"

"It's the Hunger Games," Sedna reminded her, also feeling disgusted, but more so with that girl from District 3. She may have looked so adorable and innocent, but that was all an illusion, a facade. Inside that girl harbored a sadistic soul that took pleasure in taking lives, and she used her looks to make others believe the contrary until it was too late.

Although she said she wasn't going to kill a twelve-year-old, Sedna wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe, she thought, she could end up killing a twelve-year-old if she turned out to be a serial killer. She may have been young, but she was no better than the other tributes.

* * *

A/N: Illusion- in this case, used to show that Katie's nice girl nature is one. And because I once read that doppelgangers (which Erica is terrified of) are such.

I also wanted to write a chapter which showed that Erica was really smart and not just someone who curses too much.


	63. Chapter 63

Theme: 62. Magic

Following Katie's sadistic slaying of the District 5 boy, Sedna found herself watching less and less of the 60th Hunger Games. No matter what, she couldn't bring herself to watch a Games in which that pint-sized sociopath was brutally killing off the other tributes. Although the purpose of the Games was to kill every tribute until there was one left standing, somehow, seeing a twelve-year-old kill in such a disgusting matter crossed the line.

Instead of watching the Games, Sedna spent her time training. Easy enough to do. She made an effort to show up at the Academy early in the morning with a sack lunch in tow and stay until eight in the evening. Hosea agreed to stay in the training center and supervise as long as he was able to watch the Games. As a result, he spent his day watching the Hunger Games on a cheap, portable television set with his headphones plugged into the jack.

On the fifth day of the Games, Sedna found herself taking a break. She sat on the bleachers, Hosea on the front panel of seats with the television balanced on his knees. As she drank out of a water bottle, she watched what was on the screen with mild interest. Despite the staticky reception, she could still make out what was on screen.

The girl from District 5 was creeping up to the Cornucopia with a coil of wire in her hands. Just feet away, the Careers were huddled together, walking.

"What's she doing," Sedna asked with some curiosity.

"Beats me," Hosea said, "she's been working on this contraption for the past five days. Everyone been trying to figure that out."

The girl placed the wire on the ground, the end in the Cornucopia, before running back to the woods, unwinding the wire in her hands as she ran. When she was hiding out in the woods, the girl hooked her end of the wire into a small controller with a small, wooden button in the middle. And then she pushed the button.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The pair of tributes from District 2 found themselves trapped in the Cornucopia, cowering in fear as the wall of fire reached them.

Two cannons sounded off just a minute later.

"Hot damn," Hosea exclaimed. "Sed, you see that?"

"And she created that? I'm impressed," Sedna said, smiling. "I don't think I've seen an explosion this impressive since watching those reruns of Beetee's Games."

"I know. It's like... magic or something."


	64. Chapter 64

Theme: 79. Starvation

The next day, as Sedna was training, she heard a loud commotion coming from the street. Through the open double doors of the Training Center, she watched as two of the Trainers rushed outside down the halls. Sedna set aside her spear and ran into the hall. She found Hosea standing, pressed up against the hallway wall.

"Hosea," she shouted, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Hosea said. "I just darted into the bathroom for a minute and I come out to hear a riot. Hold on a sec."

Another Trainer came running past. "Hey Jack," Hosea shouted. Jack turned to see his friend. "What's going on?"

"Didn't you hear," Jack said, "that District 1 guy just killed Ariel. It's really pissed off a lot of people. We're fortifying the doors so the rioters don't get inside. If I were you, I'd get to higher ground or help us."

Hosea turned to Sedna. "C'mon, let's go to the third floor. That's where the dorms are. And it's high enough that we'll be safe."

He and Sedna began running down the hall, to the very end with a door labeled "fire door". He pushed it open and she went through with him following. They began charging up the stairs to the third floor. When they reached the very top, Hosea pushed the door open and they stepped inside the hallway.

Sedna was met with a long hall carpeted with a plushy, blue fabric and white walls with wooden doors that seemed to go on for miles. One of the doors opened, revealing a boy of thirteen with shaggy blonde hair and a crooked nose. "Hosea," he said, "there's a bunch of rioting going on."

"Just stay inside, Brenton," Hosea said. "And stay there until further notice. You go that?"

Brenton nodded nervously and closed the door behind him.

"Now, I need to go downstairs and help out the rest of the staff," Hosea said, "so until then, I need you to stay here." They walked a short distance before stopping in front of one door with a plaque reading "Room 308" nailed next to it. Hosea knocked on the door and it opened to reveal a scared-looking boy of ten. With the same curly dark hair, olive skin, and green eyes, he might as well have been a younger Hosea. "Ishmael, I need to go downstairs to help. My friend here isn't going to be able to go home for a while, so I need her to stay here with you until it's safe. You got that."

"Yes, sir," Ishmael squeaked. He opened the door and Sedna walked inside.

"Sed, please just stay here with my brother until everything calms down. I should be back soon." And with that, Hosea was gone, running back down the hallway. Sedna closed the door after her and turned to see what kind of room she was standing in.

It was very small. Approximately five feet across and ten feet long, with a bunk bed pushed against the wall and a dresser and a desk on the other and a window on the opposite end of the room. Like the hallway, the walls were white and the walls carpeted in the same blue, plushy fabric. Here and there, childish drawings done in crayon were pinned to the walls. On the desk, beside a stack of books, was a framed photograph depicting a family of four: a mother, a father, and two sons.

"What's going on," Ishmael asked, "I was just sitting here, reading a book when I heard a lot of shouting outside. Are we rebelling?"

"No, not like that," Sedna said, trying to put on her calmest voice possible. "I'm not too sure what's going on myself. All I know is that Ariel was killed by one of the District 1 tributes. And a lot of people are furious about it. Do you mind if I look out your window?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Sedna peered out through the open window. Outside, people on the street were fighting in the street. Screaming, shouting, throwing trash bins or bottles at others or at buildings.

"Fuck District 1 and fuck the Capital," a few of the rioters shouted, "we aren't going to put up with this shit any more! Enough is enough!"

Peacekeepers in gleaming white riot armor were brandishing batons, bashing the rioters over the head and beating them into submission.

Sedna felt Ishmael creep up beside her. "Let's go back inside. This is something you shouldn't be seeing," Sedna said, taking the boy away from the window. She closed the window shut and covered it with the curtain. She was beginning to feel apprehension. "You don't happen to have a phone, do you?"

Ishmael shook his head.

"Dang it," Sedna said. If only she could just call her home and see if her family was still alright while letting them know she was okay. But for now, all she could do was wait and pray that her family was away from the rioting.

"Is it really true," Ishmael asked sadly, "is Ariel really dead?"

"I- I'm afraid so," Sedna said.

"Are we going to starve," Ishmael asked.

"What? No. At least, I hope not," Sedna said, "you're really lucky to be living in the Academy though. You have more access to food than most of the people from the Breck, where I live."

"But I'm not from the Breck. I haven't always lived here," Ishmael said mournfully. He sat down on the bed. Sedna followed suit. "I was born and raised in a fishing village that takes two days to get here by cart. When Hosea took me to live here, after Mom and Dad died, he told me that I'll never starve like back home. I won't have to starve to death like Mom did. That's how bad it was. We'd have food, but it was always the bad stuff and it was so meager it didn't fill us up. And Mom, she'd give me her portions so I wouldn't starve. I grew hearing stories about Parcel Day, and I've always dreamed of living to see it and trying applesauce and peppermints. At least once in my life, I want to see it. And I was so happy when I finally did. I wish it would last forever! But if Ariel's gone, that means we won't get to have Parcel Day ever again."

"Not ever again. Just until we have a new Victor," Sedna said.

"But that will take forever," Ishmael said sadly.

"Unfortunately."

Ishmael let out a loud groan. "I freaking hate District 1," he said, "they're always kicking our butts! And they always get all the good food when their guys win. I bet with all the diamonds they make, they can already afford the stuff. And we don't get to."

"I know. I know it sucks. But... but life isn't always fair."

"Do you think I don't know that? My mom and dad are dead. And I grew up in a forsaken little village where everyone is on the verge of starvation. And it's not like my life is any better here," Ishmael groaned, "I'm okay at training, but everyone knows I'm only here because my brother works here. And they don't take me seriously because of it."

"You think that's bad, try being the only scholarship student in your grade," Sedna reminded him, "I get teased every day by the other girls who want me gone."

Ishmael looked at her, afraid. "Will that happen to me when I get older."

"I- I don't know for sure," she said, "maybe, maybe not. I hope you don't get to experience it. And even if you don't get to go into the Games, you'll still be able to work here, just like Hosea. So, if there is anything good about being at the Academy, it's that you don't have to worry about starvation."

"Really?"

"Really. I promise."


	65. Chapter 65

Theme: 98. Puzzle

"It's been an hour. Do you think he's alright," Ishmael asked nervously.

"I hope so," Sedna said. She wished she could go downstairs and check, but Hosea gave her strict instructions not to leave the room until further notice. And so far, the only notice they got was a intercom message saying, "all students must remain in their dorm rooms until further notice."

The last broadcast was half an hour ago. Meanwhile, the rioting continued outside, the screams and shouts audible from the third-story room they were in.

"Sedna, I'm scared," Ishmael said in a trembling voice.

"Me too," she admitted, "you might not see it, but I'm scared too. I just hope my family's alright."

"I hope Hosea's alright," Ishmael said, "I don't want to go back to my old hometown. Or live in a Group Home. He's the only family I have left."

"Maybe we should stop thinking about what's going on outside," Sedna suggested. Then an idea hit her, "do you have any board games or something? Something we can use to pass the time."

Ishmael cracked a wide, pearly smile, the first time she'd seen him do it since she met him. "I have a puzzle. Hosea got it from a friend of his. Just give me a second."

He got off the bed and began rummaging through the space underneath his bunk bed. When he found what he was looking for, he let out a loud "bingo" and brought the box out, laying it on top of the bed. It was a five hundred piece puzzle set that, when assembled, showed a picture of a lighthouse at sunset.

"I haven't done a puzzle before, but this should be fun," Sedna said, watching as Ishmael took the lid off and dumped the contents on the floor.

"Okay, never mind, this is much harder than I thought," she remarked hours later. She and Ishmael were sitting on the floor, with a mound of puzzle pieces between them. The rioting had died down hours ago, but Hosea still hadn't returned. And out of the five hundred pieces, they were only able to piece a quarter of them together into a cohesive picture. "People actually do this for fun? This is torture!"

In addition to putting the puzzle together, they spent the hours chatting about their lives. Ishmael, Sedna learned, enjoyed practicing with spears and tridents "just like Hosea" but hated classwork. While the other kids picked on him for having an older brother who worked at the school, he did have to very good friends, one of whom was the nephew of a Hunger Games Victor.

"As long as you stick with that friend then, you should be okay," Sedna said, "no one would dare to make fun of a Victor's relative."

"Yeah, everyone always leaves my buddy Reed alone," Ishmael said, "but he is pretty protective too. He's always saying, 'don't you even think about picking on my friends, or I won't volunteer for you when you do get Reaped!'".

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Hosea.


	66. Chapter 66

Theme: 35. Hold My Hand

Hosea was looking battered and tired, and a white bandage was wrapped around his brow.

"Oh gosh, are you alright," Sedna asked. Hosea nodded.

"It's not that bad, some jerk just threw a rock at my head. But the nurse said I should be okay in a few days," Hosea said. "The Peacekeeper's have the rioting under control now, but they said that you need an escort to get back home. Some parts of the district aren't as safe as some of the others. If you want to leave, you should go now, while the sun is still out."

"Alright." Sedna got up from the floor and turned back to Ishmael, "I hope to see you again soon. We had a pretty good time considering what happened today."

And then she followed Hosea down the hallway and back to the ground floor.

When Sedna and Hosea reached the front entryway of the Academy, they were greeted by a familiar face. Heifer, the Peacekeeper from District 10, was waiting for them by the front doors. In the years following their first encounter, he had begun to lose some of his youthful pudginess. His face was becoming leaner, harder, and his blue eyes were a little colder, as if they had seen so much within the span of two years.

"Hello Heifer," Sedna said, greeting him.

Heifer tipped his head in her direction, "Hello, Ms. Okpik. I'm glad to see that you're still sticking around."

"You too."

"Is she going to be safe out there," Hosea asked nervously.

"I think she will be as long as she sticks with the proper authorities," Heifer said in a calm, collected tone. Not that nervous stammer from the last time she had seen him. It was obvious that he was growing into his role of a Peacekeeper.

"Alright, but please keep her safe," Hosea said, his voice taking on a pleading tone.

"I will," Heifer promised. And with that, he pushed aside one of the heavy oak doors.

When she stepped out into the open, Sedna was met with a deserted scene. There were no people around. Just broken buildings and trash littering the street. Peacekeepers were patrolling up and down the avenue.

"If I were you, I'd hold hands. It's a little safer that way," Heifer explained. Sedna nodded and took his black gloved hand in her own. Had it been another Peacekeeper, maybe she would have hesitated. But there was something about Heifer that she trusted. Maybe it was that he was from District 10 or that she would never forget the skittish young recruit from years past or that there was something about his looks that suggested a little bit of innocence and charm was still left that made him a little more trustworthy. She couldn't explain what it was that made her trust Heifer, only that she did.

They began walking down the street together, hand in hand. The marketplace and the town square were eerily deserted. Just only Peacekeepers and garbage everywhere.

"On behalf of my District, I'm really sorry for the chaos that just happened," Sedna said. "We do act like buffoons, but when you spend every Hunger Games watching District 1 always killing our tributes, we can't help but get angry over it."

"Do you not think we have that same anger too," Heifer asked. "Because we do. We haven't had a Victor in such a long time."

"How do you deal with it," she asked, "especially when most of your female tributes are all from the same family?"

"Who, the Emberly's," Heifer asked.

"I think that's their name."

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I guess we just grin and bear it and pray that we do better next year. We always pray that next year will be better, that maybe we will finally have a Victor. Moreover, there are other Districts worse off than us. Look at District 12! In the sixty years we've had the Hunger Games in place, they've only had two Victors. District Ten is a little more lucky with our five."

They fell silent, continuing to walk.

"What do you think of the District 10 tributes," Heifer asked.

Sedna shrugged her shoulders, "I'm too sure. I haven't really been watching ever since that District 3 girl killed the guy from 5. A little sad, I guess. Especially since your female tribute is another Emberly."

"Coraline," Heifer whistled, "I don't know what she was thinking volunteering. If that was me, I would just stay put. Try not to give my mamma anymore grief than she already went through. But she and Wolff are a cute couple and I really hoping that one of them pulls through. At least, I'm hoping that Coraline pulls through. After all the stuff that's happened to her family, they deserve a little bit of happiness. I'll be damned if I see District 1 take another Victory."

"Me too. I don't want to see Ariel's killer or his partner get rewarded. It was bad enough with their last Victor offing Eric," Sedna agreed.

"Didn't you hear though," Heifer asked, "the female tribute from District 1 is dead."

Sedna stopped in her tracks. "Are you serious," she asked, smiling.

"I'm serious. The female tribute from District 1 was killed today. Ariel killed her. And then Patrick killed her. Apparently, Kenmeina is the younger sister of the girl who killed Eric."

"That's wonderful," Sedna exclaimed, "Sorry... I know it's wrong to cheer on another person's death, but considering what that family did to Ariel, that girl was asking for it. An eye for an eye, right?"

"Right," Heifer agreed, "it's only fair."

They continued down the dirt road to the Breck. As Heifer was unsure where to go, Sedna ended up leading him. The lights in some of the houses were on and Sedna noticed that there were faces peering through the windows. It must have been quite a strange sight to behold, a Peacekeeper and a girl from the Breck holding hands and walking down the road.

"I hope they don't think I'm a traitor," Sedna said, looking around the Breck.

"If they ask, just tell them that it's a safety thing," Heifer said, "and if they insist there's something going on, remind them that I can't get married. At least, I can't get married for another eighteen years when I finally leave this post. Maybe they'll understand."

"I doubt it, we throw riots whenever our tributes die," Sedna said, "I don't think us together would go very well here.

They walked up the road to Sedna's house. The lights were on and Arnook was waiting for his sister.

"There you are! Mom and Dad are worried sick about you," he shouted. He then noticed that his sister was holding hands with a Peacekeeper. His eyes widened at the sight. "You didn't riot, did you?"

"If she did, then your parents would have had to have picked her up from headquarters," Heifer said. He let go of her hand and Sedna opened the fence, walking into the safety of her front yard.

She turned back to Heifer. "Thank you, for walking me home. I was glad it was with you and not Longinus," she said. "And I hope that Coraline or Wolff ends up winning. May the odds be ever in their favor."

"May the odds be in their favor," Heifer replied. He saluted Sedna and began walking down the street. Sedna smiled and turned to face her brother, who was standing on the porch, his arms at his chest.

"If that's your boyfriend, then I don't approve of him," Arnook said crossly.


	67. Chapter 67

Theme: 2. Love

"Hey Sedna, how's your Peacekeeper boyfriend," Guppy Torrance shouted from his front lawn.

Sedna let out an angry groan as she and Nori were walking down the road to the cove.

"They're never going to let me down for this, are they," Sedna asked her. As they were walking, some of the residents in the Breck were stopping and whispering to each other.

"Honestly, yeah," Nori said, "yeah, they're never going to let you live it down. So, what exactly happened last night anyway?"

"It was too unsafe to walk home alone, so they made me walk home with a Peacekeeper escort," Sedna explained, "that was it. There was nothing going on between us. I don't even know why everyone's assuming we're a couple."

"But he was kind of cute."

"NORI!," Sedna shouted. "There is nothing between us! Can we just drop it?"

Nori rolled her eye. "Alright. I'll drop it. But try telling that to the Bay Boys."

The two girls began walking down the dirt road that led to the little enclosed cove where Nori and the Bay Boys liked to surf. While it was a public beach, everyone knew that the cove was Bay Boys territory and that they must respect it. If they see a Bay Boy coming down with a surfboard, that was the cue to get out of their way. Not because the Bay Boys were a gang of hoodlums. It's that everyone knew to avoid the water when they were there following an incident from fifty years back. where Skeezer's grandfather, Squid Mason, the original Bay Boy, accidentally knocked out two bystanders while surfing a fifty-foot wave.

When Sedna and Nori reached the cove, they were met with a chorus of "wazzups" from the Bay Boys already there. Then, when they saw Sedna following behind, they changed their tune.

"Aw, you didn't bring your boyfriend," the twins, Flotsam and Jetsam, chimed in unison, "we were looking so forward to meeting him."

"If you two are really together, then Olaf, you owe me a beer," another Bay Boy, a short guy with shaggy brown hair, called out to a pale boy with a knit cap over his long, blonde hair.

"My dad wants to go deep-sea fishing this weekend, you think your boyfriend will give him one of those permits," a gigantic Bay Boy with a shaved head and tribal patterns tattooed into his dark brown skin roared.

"For the last time, I am not dating a Peacekeeper," Sedna yelled, "crimety! He only escorted me back home as a safety issue! And just because he held my hand doesn't mean we are dating! It. Was. A. Safety. Measure! Got that?"

The Bay Boys began stepping back, now slightly terrified.

"Good. Now we aren't going to bring this up again," Sedna said sternly, "because I will remind you, I am training for the Hunger Games. I know how to kill. And if any of you guys bring that up again, I will do something that I will regret. Understand?"

The Bay Boys murmured an assortment of apologies and "yes, ma'ams".

The Bay Boys stood in stunned silence, slightly terrified of the girl. Skeezer came running up to them five minutes later, lugging a board by his side. "Sorry I'm late," he said, "Mom wouldn't let me leave until I cleaned my room. Oh, hey Sedna, I heard what happened yesterday. Is it true that-"

The next thing he knew, Skeezer was lying on his back on the sand, blood pouring out of his broken nose.

"Skeezer, dude, I am so sorry for this," Sedna said in a heartfelt, apologetic tone. Skeezer was sitting on a log of driftwood, holding two cold bottles of beer up to his nose.

"Well, the good news is that your nose isn't broken, but it will hurt for a while," Nori said.

"Bud seriouzly," Skeezer said, "whad waz dat about? Did I say somefink wrong?"

"Yeah, you did," Nori said, "let's just say that thing with Sedna and that Peacekeeper she was seen with last night, there was nothing going on between them."

"I don't even know why they're jumping to that conclusion," Sedna said, "I'm not in love with him. Heifer's a nice person, but that's it. I just see him as a friend."

"I dun know my self," Skeezer said, "but wid dah Bay Boys, we joke around. Iss nuddin' personal. Dere juss being broz."

"But seriously," Sedna said, "I'm not going out with him. If I want a boyfriend, then I can wait after I win the Hunger Games. Now isn't the time for it."


	68. Chapter 68

Theme: 57. Sacrifice

The next time Sedna saw Heifer, it was just a day later, as she was in the marketplace getting food for dinner. It was near sunset, and Heifer was standing by one of the vegetable stands, on guard duty. He didn't notice her, instead his eyes were on the crowd, on the lookout for even the slightest hint of what could erupt into a "public disturbance". But Sedna could see him.

Sedna was sure she wasn't in love with him. Not that she would know, she had never been in love and couldn't tell the feeling if it suddenly came crashing into her from a million miles away. But if she had to guess what the feeling was like, she would assume that it meant acting like a complete and utter moron, fixated on just that one person and no one else. Or just dream of spending an entire lifetime with him without completely thinking it through. But she didn't want to kiss him. She didn't think about holding hands with him as they watched the sunset from the cove before retreating to a bedroom. Or even of getting married and having a life together and sharing it with a family. So she, in her mind, figured that she couldn't be in love with Heifer.

Yet there was something about him that she liked. Maybe it was because the first time she saw him, he was just a bumbling new recruit who was being verbally abused by his supervisors because he was from the wrong District. Or that, unlike the tall, hulking, imposing figures in their identical white armor, Heifer stood out from the rest with his baby face that oozed innocence. He was just a boy in a man's world, a boy who dreamed of trying to make a difference but was doing it in the worst place possible. Or that they shared some similarities. He's from a poor District, she's from a poor neighborhood. But they were transplanted into an environment that was intolerant to them. They were constantly being abused by those who actually belonged to that environment, but they stayed because they thought that they could make a difference if they stayed. Whether that will happen is up for fate to decide, but for now, they were beginning to slowly grow into their respective roles. The Peacekeeper from District 10 and the Victor from the Breck.

Maybe Heifer wasn't good boyfriend material. She didn't know for sure. But if he wasn't a Peacekeeper in a District that despised them, Sedna was sure she could see herself being friends with him. They could bond over their shared experiences and give each other the strength to carry on. And maybe, one day, they could realize that they were in love and marry.

But now, it wasn't the case. Sedna paid for her vegetables and was beginning to make the trip home when she looked back and saw Heifer in the square for the last time. He was directing a lost-looking old man back to his home in Cannery Row, looking very much like an authority figure in his official-looking uniform. The old man, when he got the directions he needed, thanked Heifer profusely before taking the road back to Cannery Row.

Sedna walked back to the Breck. As she traveled down the familiar dirt road, she passed by Raoul Cruz as he was walking, hand in hand, with his new girlfriend. She was lovely, and it was obvious they were in love. Every so often, they would kiss, exchange loving words while she nuzzled her head against his arm and he stroked her glossy auburn curls with his right hand. As they passed by, Sedna suddenly felt a twinge of longing as she watched the couple in love.

For the first time in her life, Sedna Okpik wished she was in love.

"Now isn't the time, Sedna," she reminded herself, "right now, you need to focus on your training. When you win the Hunger Games, then you can date whoever you want. You can even date Heifer and not face the consequences for it."

She walked back home. For the rest of the evening, she watched as Arnook and his friend Aran chatted outside, exchanging notes about the beautiful girls in their class and deciding who was the hottest, as Nini gazed longingly at her poster of Finnick Odair, which was now pinned to the ceiling overlooking her bunk, and as her parents, every so often, would take a moment to hold hands or exchange a kiss or a simple "I love you" before retreating to their bedroom for the night.

When she went to bed that night, all Sedna Okpik could think about, until her eyes slipped closed and she drifted off into sleep, was how nice it would be to be in love. But for now, it was just something she had to sacrifice for a greater good.


	69. Chapter 69

Theme: 28. Sorrow

Like when her brother came home to District 4, it was cold, gray, and drizzling when Ariel Finn and her District partner, Harold Fishbin, returned in two simple pine coffins. Everyone in District 4 turned out to see her homecoming, but instead of celebrating, they were crying, their heads bowed down in grief as her casket was carried out of the station by six Peacekeepers, followed by her heartbroken mother and grandmother.

From there, her body was taken back to her home in the Victor's Village, where it lay in state in the marble foyer, tropical flowers surrounding her closed casket. It had to be a closed casket ceremony. The explosion that killed the District 2 tributes horribly disfigured Ariel's lovely face. There was nothing the Capital was going to do to correct it. She had to be buried as a Capital-made monster, and not as the beautiful sea nymph that everyone wanted to remember her as.

Although it was days following the end of the Games, in which Ariel's killer was announced as the Victor, no one was in the mood to fight or to rebel or to sound off their anger over this injustice. No, now wasn't the time for anger. Now was the time for mourning.

Anyone who wanted to pay their last respects to the Little Mermaid of District 4 could. The mourners filed into the mansion, in a single file line, to pay their last respects before giving their condolences to her grieving family and departing. This was done not just because they once again lost a beloved member of the community. It was as if the Capital and District 1 had murdered a cherished daughter.

On the day after Ariel's body was returned to District 4, Sedna was among those who came to pay their last respects. She showed up in her only good clothes, with her family beside her, as they filed past her coffin. Sedna, Arnook, and Nini clutched freshly clipped flowers from their mother's garden: bright red hibiscus, delicate pink and white plumerias, and fierce, brightly colored birds of paradise bound together into little bouquets. One by one, they laid the flowers out on the side of the casket in a solemn gesture.

"This isn't fair, you should have won," Nini said, weeping, "not that meanie who killed you."

"But the girl who disfigured you is gone," Arnook said, "so that's something, right?"

"It's not the same though," Sedna said, sadly. She placed her hand on the casket. "Ariel, I'm so sorry to hear that you're gone. We were hoping for a Victory, and once again it's been snatched away from us. I might not have known you very well, but I remember when you stood up to Monica during training all those years ago. I thought you were brave to standing up to her like that. I wish we had more people like you and less of her. I might not have known you very well, but what I did know was that you were a good person. A better person than whatever Monica will ever be. I wish it was you who stayed and her was gone, but this world isn't very fair. Good-bye. I hope you're reunited with Eric now. I know how much he meant to you."

Sedna withdrew her hand from the coffin. The Okpik children walked around the casket and joined their parents, who were exchanging a few condolences with Ariel's mother and grandmother. When Ariel's mother saw Sedna coming up to join Mrs. Okpik, she asked, "is this your daughter? The one training for the Hunger Games?"

Mrs. Okpik nodded. Ariel's mother reached out and grasped Sedna's hands in her own and looked her straight in the eye. For the first time, Sedna realized how much this woman looked like Ariel. Same dark red hair, same blue eyes now clouded with sorrow. If anything, Athena might as well have been what Ariel looked had she lived.

"Don't go into the Games," Mrs. Finn whispered desperately, her voice taking on a pleading tone. "Please don't. Spare your mother the grief. It's not worth it. It's not worth it."

Tears were running down her cheeks, her mouth opening and closing as she mouthed, "it's not worth it" like a beached whale struggling to survive. Her husband appeared, taking her into his arms as she burst out crying into his chest. Unsure of what to say next, Mr and Mrs. Okpik led their children outside.

"Mom, is Sedna really going to volunteer," Nini asked as they walked back to the Breck.

"I don't know. It's up for her to decide," Mrs. Okpik said.

"Ignore her, sis," Arnook said, wrapping his arm around his older sister's shoulder. "She's just really upset over what happened. She can't tell you what to do."

"What do you think, Mom," Sedna asked softly, "would you survive after I died?"

Mrs. Okpik fell silent, contemplating her answer, "to be honest, I would brace myself for your death. It's not that I don't have faith in you. I believe you have the potential to win these Games. However, I also try to be realistic. If you died, I would be upset, but I know I will survive because I have a husband and two other children who will help me grieve. I may lose a daughter, but I have two other children who I love dearly. So, I think I would be alright as long as I have my family to help me."

"That's reassuring to hear," Sedna said, "because I'm still going to volunteer for the next Hunger Games."

"Are you sure," Mr. Okpik asked.

"Postive. Just because we didn't get a Victor this year doesn't mean I'm going to try."


	70. Chapter 70

Theme: 27. Foreign

Within hours of the riot, more Peacekeepers were beginning to arrive in District 4. Each day, trains carrying the new recruits pulled into the station and they marched down the streets in uniform columns, looking less like humans and more like shiny white robots that were trained to kill. It was impossible to walk five feet without encountering one of these clones.

Even weeks following the end of the 60th Hunger Games, a time that should have been marked by a mutiny from the furious District 4 residents, fuming over seeing Ariel's murderer claim the Victory that should have gone to her, their presence didn't let up. Jut the sight of the Peacekeepers, standing out amongst the sea of leather-faced fishermen, their rugged wives who tried to preserve what remained of their femininity with colorful scarves, hoop earrings, and embroidered clothing, and their wild-looking children with their long, unkempt hair coated with sea salt and skin burnt to varying shades of brown and tan, in their gleaming armor sent the hardiest of sailors slightly trembling.

Leaving one's home was a nerve wracking experience. Everyone was on edge, terrified that they would do something wrong in the eyes of these invaders from District 2 and be hauled off to jail or sentenced to a brutal punishment. These Peacekeepers were everywhere, with eyes always on the look out for even the slightest disturbance. Even a misdemeanor as minor as dropping an apple core on the road or gambling in the alleyways warranted a visit to the headquarters, where they would emerge hours, even days later, covered in black and blue bruises with electrical burns on their backs and wrists and missing teeth. Mr. Torrance from down the street, one day, was taken in for public drunkenness and came home late that night with his jaw dislocated and his nose broken with fresh blood staining the front of his white tank top.

Everyone kept their silence though. If they could, they would stay home. But for those who had to go to work or to school, they would remain vigilant when out and about. Keep your eyes on the ground, don't speak when spoken to, don't act suspicious, and if it looks like trouble is brewing, stay away from it as much as possible. But most of all, keep your tempers in check.

The invasion of the Peacekeepers affected more than just the residents of the Breck and Cannery Row. One day, Sedna overheard Monica whining to her lackeys during the training period, "those Peacekeepers are driving me crazy! I can't go into town without at least three of them stopping me for questioning! And it's not like I did anything wrong. I'm a Victor's daughter. I would never do anything to defy the Capital. It's those drunken morons in the Breck who should be punished for this, not me. They're the ones who rioted. They're always making a mess of things."

The lackeys nodded their heads in agreement, saying things like, "of course" and "it's so unfair that it has to happen to us to", as if they were wired to agree with everything she said.

"I'm telling you, she's gonna pay for this," Monica hissed, "I might not be able to punish the entire Breck, but she'll do."


	71. Chapter 71

Theme: 85. Spiral

When Sedna was preparing to for the afternoon training session later that day, Monica, Laguna and Tethys jumped her in the locker room and tackled her to the dirty, tiled floor. Her head hit the ground, and for a moment, everything turned into a blurry mess of color and sound before righting itself back to normal.

"Why don't you go back to that dirty cesspool you grew up in," Tethys hissed into her ear, pinning one of Sedna's arms to her back as she struggled to free herself. Although Monica, Laguna, and Tethys were actually rather skinny girls, their combined weight proved to be too much for Sedna to throw off.

"It's because of the Breck we have all these stupid Peacekeepers everywhere," Monica angrily snapped, grabbing the ends of Sedna's braids and sharply yanking her head back. Sedna bit into her bottom lip as the pain exploded in her scalp, trying her best not to voice her discomfort as Monica grabbed at her hair. "You morons are always ruining things for the rest of us. We can't get a Victor because no one wants to support the District with the angry, alcoholic, rioting fishermen!"

"And what makes you think you'll be a Victor anyway," Laguna nastily asked, twisting Sedna's other arm against her back. It hurt, but she tried her best not to sound her pain. Monica will only take pleasure from it. Letting know that she's in pain will only affirm what Monica has always thought.

"Yeah," Monica said, laughing, "Look at you! You're hideous! You look like a boy with pigtails. You don't stand a chance without any sponsors. So why don't you just give up now?"

"Not while you're still here," Sedna hissed. And with that, she butted her head into Monica's direction, the crown of her skull colliding into Monica's jaw. Monica crashed into the lockers and fell to a heap on the floor. Tethys, out of blind loyalty, rushed to Monica's side. She was gripping her head with one hand, her blonde hair, perfectly coiffed just a few minutes ago, was now disheveled and hanging down her face in limp, ratty coils.

Sedna, feeling as if her brain was bouncing around inside her skull from when she headbutted Monica, tried sitting up, only to find Laguna diving towards her. Even though it was hard to think after hitting her head on the ground, and then against Monica's jaw, she was still able to send her foot flying into Laguna's stomach. Laguna let out a loud gasp and collapsed to the ground, wheezing for air.

"Don't mind me, just go after her," Monica commanded. Tethys stood up and began running towards Sedna, but like with Laguna, she was able to throw her off. Just as Tethys threw her fists into Sedna's direction, she blocked, grabbing Tethys' wrists in her hands, before twisting them to her back. Try as she might, Tethys couldn't free herself from Sedna's grasp. After all, she was never good at defending herself. She was only able to stay at the Academy because her wealthy grandfather was paying for her tuition. If she was a scholarship student, she would have been kicked out years ago. And if she was actually in the Hunger Games, she would most certainly have become a Bloodbath.

Sedna pushed Tethys away from her, so hard that the girl crashed to the ground and couldn't drag herself up again. Instead, she just began to cry, "I'm so sorry Monica. I'm so sorry."

Her head spinning, Sedna began running out of the locker room and down the hallway. When she was sure she was far away enough from Monica and her lackeys, she slumped down against a wall, resting her elbows on her knees, hands gripping her disheveled hair. Her head hurt. And it felt like her brain was spinning in circles inside her skull. She breathed heavily, almost unsure if what she had just been through was for real.

"No, it can't be, it hurts too much for this to be a dream," Sedna thought. After several minutes of rest, she felt like she was ready to continue on with her day. As she righted herself on her feet, she felt the dizzying sensation of the room spinning, combined with the jabbing pains in her head.

"Not even all the times Arnook pulled on my hair did this hurt," she remarked. As much as she hated Monica, she had to admit, the girl did have a strong grip. Overhead, the bell marking the start of a new period sounded, the vibrations penetrating her skull, continuing to send her brain spinning. "I need some pain killers," she said, "I don't care if I see Monica in the nurses office. I need painkillers, headache pills, whatever. I am not going to be able to concentrate if my head keeps going into spirals."


	72. Chapter 72

Theme: 9. Drive

"Are you sure you still want to practice," Hosea asked after the end of the regular school period. He lugged out the practice spears from their cabinet and gave one to Sedna, "I heard what happened to you in the locker room today. Monica already decided to skip practice for the rest of the afternoon. I thought the same would happen to you."

"Well, Hosea," Sedna said, taking the spear and impaling it into a training dummy, "the difference between me and her is that I'm not as willing to give up. If she wants to take a break, that's all up to her. But for me, that's not an option. I need to keep on practicing. If I slack off for even a day, it'll just throw everything out of balance. I'll start sucking."

Hosea stood off to the side, watching as Sedna impaled dummy after dummy with the spears as they landed in the kill spots: stomach, head, heart. "You know," he said, "you can take a break. No one is going to judge you for that."

"I don't need a break," Sedna insisted, "I just need to practice more. That's the only way I can get better. Finnick Odair didn't win by waiting for a Victory. He took matters into his own hands. And so will I."

She paused, gathered the spears, and returned to the line before practicing all over again. Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Once again, the dummies met their end on the end of her spears. This time, they were all impaled in the head. Hosea disappeared for several minutes, saying that he'll be right back. When he returned, he was carrying a plastic bag in his hand.

"Let's have a snack break," Hosea announced.

"Not hungry," Sedna replied. She grabbed more spears and was flinging them at the targets.

"Please? If you keep on practicing like this, you'll wear out your arm and your aim won't be as good."

Sedna threw her last spear and stopped. Now that he mentioned it, her arm did feel a little sore. And the last spear didn't even hit a kill spot. It only got the shoulder. Realizing that what Hosea was saying might be right, she stopped and sat down on the bleacher. Hosea took a seat next to her, setting the bag down next to them and opening it up. Inside were two little strawberry cheese cakes wrapped in fluted, pink paper.

"It's one of the trainer's birthday today," Hosea explained, "I nicked these from the staff lounge. You're not allergic to strawberries, are you?"

Sedna shook her head. "I just hate bananas, but that's about it."

Hosea took one of the cakes and handed it to her before biting into his own. Sedna stared down at her little strawberry cheese cake. A feeling of longing gnawed at her as she thought back to the past and of the girl who would have loved this treat more than her.

"Are you alright? You're not eating your cake," Hosea asked, concerned.

"I- I'm sorry," Sedna said, "it's just that... Coral loved strawberries. Whenever they were in season, she'd eat them up as if they were going to go extinct." She let out a soft sigh. "I miss her. So much. I- I just- I just hope she's somewhere safe and that she's happy."

"I'm really sorry to hear all this," Hosea said softly. His eyes held an expression of deep concern, "I miss her too. She was one of my favorite students. Every time I see you practicing or whenever I see a blonde girl with her hair up in a top knot, I'm always reminded of her."

Sedna picked at the fluted paper cups. "You know how I've been training my butt off since she left," she asked, "I'm not just doing it for myself. I'm doing this for her. So that maybe, I can try to claim that Victory that should have gone to her. Maybe it won't bring Coral back, but I keep thinking that it'll give me some kind of closure. Maybe, wherever Coral is, she'll be watching me with that Victor's crown on TV and she'll know that I beat Monica and won this for us. Sure, she won't come back to 4, but if she sees me dedicating this Victory to her, she'll still know how much she meant to me. After all, she was my best friend. Nothing is going to change that."

Hosea smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and drew her into a hug. "I think that's a great motivation," he whispered into her ear, "it certainly gives you the drive to try and win the Games for Coral."

"Now do you understand why I need to win this?"

"Of course. Now finish your cake and we can get back to work."


	73. Chapter 73

Theme: 36. Precious Treasure

Araceli Okpik was a woman who was proud of her heritage and made sure everyone knew about it. She liked cooking fish stews like her "ancestors back before Baja California was drowned out" while singing songs in a language no one knew. Although gold was a rarity, she wore big, gold hoop earrings passed down from her grandmother "because it's a cultural tradition I will not let die" even though she could not afford gold hoops for her own daughters. Once, when Sedna was turning fifteen, she announced that she wanted to give her daughter a big party to celebrate. Sedna, being someone who hated being the center of attention, tried to talk her mother out of it, insisting that a simple party with just Coral and Nori would be just fine. In the end, the only reason why the so-called "sweet fifteenth" party wasn't held was due to a lack of funds, something that sent Mrs. Okpik sulking for weeks.

One day, late on a rainy Sunday afternoon, while Mr. Okpik was away at sea, Mrs. Okpik proudly proclaimed, "Araceli means 'precious treasure' in Spanish. And my mother named me that because she knew I was special. And do you know why?"

Arnook, who was playing 'Goldfish' with his sisters on the floor, spoke up. "Because you have three older brothers and your mom was desperate to have a girl?"

"Aye," Mrs. Okpik said proudly, "I was her only girl, her precious treasure. And she wanted to give me a name that reflected how much I meant to her."

"Ooh," Nini squealed, "do you know what my name means?"

Mrs. Okpik, who was laying on the sofa with a book in her hands, smiled at her younger daughter, "I remember picking your name out like it was yesterday. When I was a girl, there was this book I loved to read called "Nini of the North Sea". It was about a girl who had been abandoned on an island following a shipwreck. She had the ability to talk to animals, so she got her animal friends to help her get back to her village. I'm not too sure what the name means though. I always loved the name and wanted to name my daughter after her."

"What about Arnook," her son asked. "Where does that come from?"

"You're named for your grandfathers," Mrs. Okpik answered, "Arnook was your dad's dad and your middle name, Diego, was my dad's name. I don't know what Arnook means, but I know Diego was also the name of a town that was lost during the floods. Sedna, what about you? Would you like to know how we decided on your name?"

Sedna, who was clutching the carved, wooden killer whale pendant she wore around her neck, looked up. "I thought you named me after the old lady of the sea," she said, "that's what Dad says."

"It's true," Mrs. Okpik replied, "your name does come from a sea goddess from your father's people. But it was also your grandmother's name. Your father was adamant that Sedna would be your first name. He thought that if you were named after his sea goddess, you would be blessed with good luck for life."

"Dad also says that this talisman will also protect me," she said, lifting the pendant by the string and showing it to her mother. Mrs. Okpik, upon seeing the carved whale, smiled.

"I remember that," she said. She got off the sofa and crouched down in front of her daughter, taking the killer whale talisman in her hands, "your father carved a similar whale when we were children. He said he didn't want to go into the Hunger Games, so he made it as a way to protect himself. He told me that killer whales have protected his family for generations, but I never believed him. I didn't believe that animals would protect people like that. Well, it worked for him."

She pressed the talisman into Sedna's hand. "If I were you," Mrs. Okpik said, "I would protect that talisman with my life. Your dad gave you this talisman for a reason. You should treasure it because it might end up helping you out one day. I know it worked for him. Maybe the power of the whale and Sedna will help you too."


	74. Chapter 74

Theme: Light

One Friday evening, some two weeks later, Sedna found herself walking back to the Breck very late at night. As she was nearing her house, she noticed that the lights were on in her house.

"The heck, it's nearly midnight," she whispered. And then she stopped when it dawned on her why the lights would be on so late. "Oh crud, Mom must be mad at me for staying out late. Okay, nothing to panic over. It's not like I was toking it up with Skeezer and Nori. I was just at the Academy and I decided to practice a little while longer than usual. Yeah, that's about right. Mom can't be mad at me if I was at the Academy. Besides, I've been staying out later lately. Surely she's gotten used to it by now."

As Sedna walked up the front steps of her house, the front door swung open, revealing Arnook standing in the door. From what she could see of the inside, it was filled with people, neighbors, and loud music being played out on an orchestra of guitars and penny whistles.

"There you are," Arnook shouted, "Sedna, where were you? Mom's been freaking out all night when you didn't come home. She thinks you forgot Dad's birthday/homecoming party."


	75. Chapter 75

Theme: 72. Mischief Managed

"Party?"

Arnook stepped back and Sedna walked through the door. Almost all of their neighbors, the Cresta's, the Torrance's, the Lee's, the Cruz's, the Cullen's, the O'Reilly's, and the Mason's, and so many others were flooding the living room. On the wall was a big white banner that read "Happy Birthday, Kuruk, and Welcome Home" in bold red letters. The kitchen table and counters were laden with food, alcohol, and a big punch bowl. In one corner of the room, Mr. Cruz was strumming a guitar to the accompaniment of Saorise Cullen's penny whistle playing.

"Sedna! I was wondering when you would show up," Mr. Okpik exclaimed. He turned to Mr. Lee and Mr. O'Reilly and said, "I'll be back in a moment." He walked up to his daughter and squeezed her into a tight hug. Sedna noticed that he smelled of the sea and of raw fish. "I missed you so much, kiddo!"

"Missed you too, Dad," Sedna said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm really sorry to have missed your party. If Mom told me, I think I forgot."

"Oh, it's nothing. At least I get to see my little girl again," Mr. Okpik said, smiling, "and that's all I need in this world."

But still, she felt guilty. How can I have forgotten my dad's birthday, Sedna though. She took a seat on the sofa, ignoring the revelry going on around her. Mrs. Okpik glared at her daughter from across the room, furious that she would dare to be late to a family member's birthday party.

"Hey sis, you missed the cake cutting but I saved you a slice," Arnook said. He pressed a plate laden with a slice of vanilla cake with strawberry icing dusted with what looked to be a powdery sugar colored red and a fork into her hands.

"Aww, thanks Arnook, that makes me feel a little better," Sedna said. She picked up the fork and speared the end of the cake with it. When she began to eat it, she instantly felt a hot, burning sensation in her mouth. It was as if the cake was made out of chili peppers. She put the plate down on the coffee table and ran into the bathroom. Thankfully, it was empty and she was able to close the door after her and spit the cake out into the sink. She began to feel guilty over spitting out the cake as she washed out the fiery taste from her mouth. Even after several mouthfuls of water, the burning remained.

From outside, she could hear a two, high pitched snickers, followed by her brother saying, "Boosh! Mischief managed!"

Angrily, Sedna slammed the door open to find Arnook and his friend Aran snickering at the doorway.

"What is wrong with you," Sedna hissed. "What the heck did you put on the cake? It tastes like it was made of chili peppers."

"Ooh, tell her, Arnie," Aran O'Reilly said, nudging his friend in the ribs.

"We dusted the cake with chili powder," Arnook said, trying to contain his giggling. "It was epic!"

"No, it wasn't epic! My mouth feels like it just got set on fire," Sedna exclaimed.

"Whatever," Arnook replied, "if you showed up to the party on time, we wouldn't have spiked the peppers in your cake."

Arnook and Aran burst out laughing, running down the hallway, leaving his sister to fume silently at the door. "As if you couldn't make me feel any guiltier, you did," she muttered.


	76. Chapter 76

Theme: 71. Obsession

The following morning, Sedna found herself still feeling guilty over the events from the night before. She found herself unable to sleep as she thought back to the party that she walked in on, several hours late. "How could I have missed my dad's own homecoming birthday party," she thought, laying stiff as a board on her bed, "am I really that obsessed over training?"

Later that morning, as she sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast, Mrs. Okpik began to speak. "Sedna, can we talk about what happened last night," she asked.

"Araceli, it's not a big deal," Mr. Okpik interjected, "I'm just happy she came home. And the party wasn't ruined! Everyone said they had a good time."

"It's not just about the party," Mrs. Okpik said sternly, glaring daggers at Sedna, who was now wishing that she could just disappear and then suddenly reappear back at the Academy, "Sedna, I think you're getting too obsessed with training. You're spending way too much time at the Academy. Now, I don't mind you waking up so early. However, I don't like how you're coming home later and later. Especially last night. I've been reminding you of your dad's party for the past week, yet you forgot and came home late. Do you know how embarrassed I was to see you there, in your gym clothes, acting like nothing happened?"

"Mom," Sedna began, but Mrs. Okpik raised her hand to shush her.

"Not until I'm finished," Mrs. Okpik snapped, "the point is, you're spending too much time at the Academy and not at home. And it feels like you are more interested in training and less with being with your friends and family. Now, I know how much it means for you to train. I understand that, however, I want you to start spending more time at home as of right now. Starting today, you are not to spend the weekends at the Academy. I want you at home or with Nori and not practicing for the Games. Do you understand me?"

"But Mom-"

"Do you understand me?"

Sedna slumped down in her chair. "Yes, Mom," she hissed, "I understand. Starting today, I won't spend all the time training. You want me to stay home on the weekends. Fine. I was probably asking for it anyway."

"Good," Mrs. Okpik said, then her face began to soften, "don't take this as a punishment though. I know training means a lot to you, but it won't last forever. Either you'll end up in the Games or you won't. And if the latter happens, I don't want you spending the rest of your life regretting it. I want you to also start building up a life that you can fall back on when you're out of school. Do you understand where I'm getting with this?"

"Yes, Mom. I'll try to have a life outside of school."

"Good."


	77. Chapter 77

Theme: 22. Mother Nature

"Hey, Sedna. Your mom called my mom and told her, who told me, what happened," Nori said when she showed up to the Okpik household half an hour later with a surfboard in tow, "your mom wants me to make sure you don't sneak off to go training."

"So you know what happened last night," Sedna asked glumly as they walked down the road.

"Yeah, I was there," Nori said, "I left before you arrived though. I like going to bed early. You know, so I can get up and surf early the next day. Besides, I like the fact we get to hang out more now. I know it sucks for you, but you train like five days a week. You need a break."

"I'm only doing this because Mom is making me," Sedna explained.

"But still, I was missing you," Nori said as they walked down to the cove, "I missed being around you. The Bay Boys are cool, but I like having girl friend too, and you're the only girl friend I've got."

They walked past the narrow path lined with sea grass and ice plant and onto the deserted stretch of beach. It was burning hot that day, and the waves up head was a crystal blue that was making twenty foot waves that crashed upon the shore.

"Whooo mama," Nori exclaimed as she stripped down to just her board shorts and a bikini top. Sedna also stripped down to the swimsuit she wore underneath her clothes, "check out those surf conditions, Sedna! Those waves are huge! And let me tell you something. Giant waves are proof that Mother Nature loves District 4 and wants us to be happy. After all, name one other District that has surfing as a sport."

"Um, none? Because they're all landlocked or cordoned off from the ocean," Sedna said hesitantly.

"Correct-o," Nori replied. She laid down on her board and began paddling out to sea before getting up, balancing on the board and waiting for a wave to come. As the wave began to grow in size, Nori directed her board in the direction of the tube, gliding across the rippling tunnel of water before the wave began to ebb down to just a crest, sending her back to shore. "I'm telling you," she exclaimed, getting off of the board, "your mom picked a good day to ban you from training. The water is fantastic today! C'mon, get on the board! I'll take you out to sea! It'll be fun."


	78. Chapter 78

Theme: 100. Relaxation

Ten minutes later, Sedna found herself lying on top of Nori's surfboard while her friend paddled out to into the open water, the leash attached to the board wrapped around her wrist. Warm water lapped around the board and around her body as they traveled. As they moved through the water, Sedna looked up and watched as District 4 got progressively smaller. When they were far enough that the water reached up to Nori's shoulders, she stopped treading water.

"Do you know what I like to do when I'm alone here," Nori asked. Sedna shook her head. "I like going out into the ocean, and just lie on my back and watch the clouds pass by. Maybe it sounds boring to you, but I, and this sounds weird- I think I find a sense of inner peace here. When I'm out at sea, I feel myself relaxing here. It's something about the waves or just being alone or just being in my element, but I feel more at peace here. As if nothing bad can reach me here. And when nothing bad can reach me, I feel so much better. You wanna try?"

"What else is there for me to do?"

Sedna laid down on the board, her eyes on the sky. Almost instantly, she felt herself being calmed by the gently rocking waves as it drifted past the board.

"How you feeling," Nori asked from beside her.

"Pretty good now," Sedna said softly, watching as the clouds lazily drifted by. "I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time." She couldn't remember a time where she was this calm.

"I was sure you were going to like it," Nori chimed happily, "I figured you'd start stressing out so I wanted to bring you out here. This is usually my secret spot, but I'm gonna share it with you. I figure you'd need it more than me."

"Thanks." While it was nice being out in the middle of the ocean with Nori, Sedna still wished that she could still be back at the Academy when she felt herself longing to be back there, practicing with her spear.


	79. Chapter 79

Theme: 64. Multitasking

"Sedna, you need to stop hanging out at the Academy so much. Go spend time with your friends."

"Sedna, you've been practicing for too long. Come out and enjoy the beach! It's gorgeous out today!"

"Sedna, come home early tonight. It's Nini's birthday and we need you there to help out with the guests."

"Sedna, you've gotta stop obsessing about training. C'mon, live a little! Skeezer's hosting a party and it'll be epic!"

SednaSednaSednaSedna.

For the first time in her life, Sedna Okpik was sick of hearing her name. Now, whenever she heard it, it was followed by a command to be more social. Spend more time with the family or with the friends. Stop going to the Academy so much and just go to the beach. Stop obsessing with training and just relax.

Well, she couldn't relax. If relaxation meant lying on a beach, then she considered it to be a waste of time. Relaxation to her was standing in the middle of an air conditioned training room at the Academy, sending spear after spear into the training dummies until they were all lying limp and motionless like corpses.

Yet, everyone around her expected her to find a way to balance training with having a social life. And, as Sedna slowly realized, multitasking was not for her. Not when it meant trying to remember birthdays and scheduled "play dates" or parties in which she was involuntarily RVSP'ed by her mother or Nori, even if they meant well. All taking place when she would rather be training.

Lately, Sedna found herself envying the kids who lived at the Academy full time. The ones taken away from their homes in remote fishing villages at an early age. Even if they were away from their families, at least they were free of their nagging. They had the opportunity to do whatever they wanted.

Unlike her, who was finding herself to be at the will of a family and a circle of friends who thought that they were doing the best for her by making her go out more and socialize rather than hole herself in a school and practice spear throwing all day.

If only I had the opportunity to just worry about one thing, one measly thing, Sedna found herself thinking, my life would be so much easier. And I could get so much more done at the Academy than I could at the beach or with Mom.


	80. Chapter 80

Theme: 51. Sport

One day, in late summer, Sedna was sitting at the kitchen table, alone, when she heard a voice call out from the hallway, "Hey, Sed? You wanna go fishing?"

Sedna turned to see her father standing in the entryway. He was wearing his fishing clothes: dungarees over a dirty T-shirt, heavy work boots, and a canvas hat stuck with various lures and hooks on his head.

"I'm not in the mood," Sedna sighed sulkily, staring out the window. While it was a beautiful, clear day out, she wished she was at the Academy, practicing spear throwing.

"I'm taking Arnook spear fishing," Mr. Okpik said.

Sedna perked her head up. "Did you say spear fishing," she asked gleefully, the corners of her mouth twisting up into a wide grin.

"I sure did," Mr. Okpik replied.

"Give me five minutes."

An hour later, Mr. Okpik was leading his two children down a rocky cove, where he claimed to "boast a bountiful fish harvest". They were armed with spears, plastic buckets, with Mr. Okpik carrying a backpack containing a first aid kit and some other emergency supplies.

"Careful, though it's low tide, these rocks can get slippery," he warned his children and they trailed behind him. When he found a good place to stop, he motioned for his children to come over and set their supplied down.

The location Mr. Okpik selected to fish was a coastal inlet with crystal blue water and fish that darted in between the rocks that dotted the bottom. Sat down on a large boulder and began taking his shoes off, rolling the cuffs of his dungarees up his calves, before taking his spear and wading out into the open water. Sedna and Arnook followed suit. When they were standing in the knee-high water, Mr. Okpik motioned for them to be silent.

"I don't want you two scaring off the fish," he whispered, "as you know, they are very skittish. So no sudden movements from either of you."

Sedna and Arnook nodded.

"Good, now there isn't any need to teach the fundamentals on account that I taught both of you years ago. And practiced in your own ways," he said, nodding his head in Sedna's direction on the last sentence. "So all I can say is to just have fun."

And with that, Mr. Okpik took his spear and walked away to a location where he could fish in silence, leaving Sedna and Arnook standing alone in the shallow water. Arnook turned to his sister and asked, "you up for a game?"

"Sure," Sedna said, smiling, "what did you have in mind?"

"Let's see who can catch the most fish," Arnook said, "looser has to give up his or her desert for tonight to the winner."

"Arnook, you really think it's a good idea to challenge someone whose been using a spear to kill people?"

"People, fish? Same thing as far as I'm concerned," Arnook said apathetically. He took his spear and retreated to another part of the cove, leaving Sedna to stand alone.

She looked down at the water and watched as the fish darted past her legs. They were about medium sized, approximately the size of her hand from the wrist to the tip of her middle finger, with silvery scales that ended in a blue-tipped fin. Sedna raised her spear and positioned it over the water, waiting for something to pass by.

Slash!

Sedna took her spear and withdrew it out of the water. Her heart soared as she caught a glimpse of her catch. A fat blue fin wriggling on the sharp end of the spear. She deposited it in her bucket before repeating the process again.

Splash!

Splash!

Splash!

Over and over again, she continued spearing fish and filling up her bucket with her catch. Never had she felt so much satisfaction at this sport. Why she hadn't done this sooner, she didn't know. It was just like training, only practicing with a smaller, faster moving target.

When Mr. Okpik called it a day, Sedna and Arnook gathered their supplies and their buckets and followed their father back to town.

"So, how many did you catch," Sedna asked.

Arnook shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. I lost count after twenty? You?"

"I didn't count. But we'll see once we get home."

Upon arriving back in an empty house, Mr. Okpik went around back to put the spears and the supply bag back in the shed while Sedna and Arnook took the buckets back into the kitchen. Sedna filled the sink with water and emptied the day's catch, counting hers and Arnook's catches, while Arnook retrieved the cutting boards and the knives.

"I caught thirty-two fish, you got nineteen," Sedna announced.

"What," Arnook gasped, "that can't be."

"I counted it myself. But you can try yourself. Your catch is in the right hand part of the sink. Mine is in the left."

Arnook walked over and began counting the separate batches. When he was done, his face fell when he realized that he had lost to his older sister. "Crap," he grumbled, "fine, take my desert! I don't care. I just hope you get the banana flavored taffy. I know how much you hate bananas."

Once Arnook got three of each cutting board, knife, he set them out and the family began descaling and gutting the fish open. When they were done, Mr. Okpik began bagging up the fish and stacking them inside the freezer, where it would be preserved for a later date.

"So, you glad you went spear fishing," Mr. Okpik asked as he stacked the last of the sliced blue fin. Sedna smiled. "Yeah. Can we do this again next weekend?"

"Sure, but you're going to need to be careful with how many you catch. I don't want to be the one responsible for causing a blue fin shortage."

Sedna smiled, realizing now that the weekends weren't so bad. All she needed to do was to find a loophole to her mother's training ban. And she found it in a chance to fish with her dad.


	81. Chapter 81

Theme: 88. Pain

Six months following the end of the 60th Hunger Games, new posters for the Victory Tour were being erected all over District 4. This time, the Victor was Patrick MacDougall, posing with a silver bow in his hands and a wearing a white and silver suit with a hood over his head. The Capital's Robin Hood, who steals from the poorer District and gives back to only the wealthy.

Unlike the previous years, in which the posters were either vandalized or stolen by lovesick teenage girls, everyone left these new batches alone. With at least two Peacekeeper's being posted every few feet, around the clock, no one even dared to defile them. After all, a jail sentence wasn't worth it. If the rest of Panem wanted to see how furious they were, they would just have to wait until the Victory Tour made it's stop in District 4.

In the mean time, everyone simply glared at the poster, as it it was the closest they can get to exacting their pain and anger over what they had seen. A couple of braver souls attempted to take the posters down in the dead of night, but fresh copies were always posted the following morning.

Tension was rife in the air as the Victory Tour got nearer. People were beginning to snap more often, shouting at their neighbors, fighting with one another. Two days before Patrick MacDougall was to arrive, a youth from Cannery Row was shot as he was caught vandalizing one of the posters, ripping it apart with a paring knife he kept in his coat pocket. The town square was blocked off for hours and everyone ordered to remain inside until further notice.

When everyone was finally allowed out, all evidence of the murder was washed away, as if it had never happened. The body was taken away, the blood rinsed away from the cobblestone road, and the poster replaced with a new copy.

"I'm telling you guys, things can only get worse from here," Skeezer said sadly the day before Patrick was due to arrive. He, Nori, Sedna, the twin Bay Boys, and Erica were sitting on his front porch, drinking beer and watching as the sun set over the bay from his house. "That S.O.B is going to be in our territory and we can't do anything about it."

"I know, it's going to really fucking suck," Erica groaned, smacking her head against the porch post.

"What do you have to complain," Nori said, "you should be happy that your doppelganger is dead. Isn't that how it goes? Neither can live while the other survives, or some crap like that?"  
"No, Nori, that's not how it goes," Erica said glumly, "I'm still marked for death anyway. My doppelganger getting hanged doesn't stop that. And I'm fucking mad at her too. I mean, I'm happy she blew up District 2. Those guys were jerks. But mutilating Ariel? That just crosses the line."

"I wish it was Ariel who came back," Sedna said, "it would have been nice to have a winning streak."

"Stupid fucking rich assholes from District 1," Erica grumbled, "they won too many times. How about letting the other damn Districts have a turn, right?"  
"Agreed," the Double Troubles twins said together.

"But still, tomorrow is going to really, really suck," Nori said. "It's going to be so painful seeing him on that stage and shoving his Victory in Mags' and Athena's faces like every District 1 ass-hat before him."


	82. Chapter 82

Theme: 42. Standing Still

No one in District 4 was looking forward to the day when Patrick MacDougall finally arrived in their District. On the day he arrived, every one stood in the town square in uncomfortable silence as Patrick made his way up the stage. The families of Ariel Finn and Harold Fishbin sat off to the side of the stage, glaring at the Victor from 1 as he spoke into the microphone.

"I am very glad to be in District 4 today," Patrick said trying to invoke a calm and confident voice, the voice of someone who won as was proud of it, but he trembled on certain syllables, as if he was terrified inside, "I must say, you live in a very beautiful district. Much more beautiful than- than District 1."

As Patrick struggled to finish his speech, Sedna slowly realized that he wasn't just some jerk from the District 1. While the previous Victors were usually proud of what they had accomplished and took effort to conceal their pride, this new Victor was scared. Once or twice, he skipped a sentence and had to go back and restate what he meant. His pale hands trembled as he clutched his cue cards, with his speech printed off of them. His eyes nervously darting to the families of his victim and the other boy waiting on the side.

Patrick might has looked like a celebrity in his tailored, blue suit with the obligatory hood covering his head, but in the end, he was just a nervous young man. Was he anticipating a hostile attitude in District 4, probably after hearing horror stories about his predecessor's stops there during their Victory Tours? If not from them, but because he killed Ariel?

For a fleeting moment, Sedna felt a twinge of sympathy before brushing it aside. No, now was not the time to feel sorry for that murder, she thought angrily as Patrick began to talk about Ariel and how wonderful of a tribute she was when they were in the Career pack. Low boos began to rise from the audience, undeterred from the Peacekeeper's surrounding the square.

The multitudes of Peacekeepers seemed to be everywhere, as if bordering the square, on the lookout for even the slightest disturbance.

"I know that the death of Ariel has upset yo-" but Patrick's words were cut off when a woman from behind the crowd screamed, "it did upset us, you son of a sea hag!" before a Peacekeeper stepped forward and stunned her with an electrified baton. People all around her tried to rush to her aid but were stopped as more Peacekeepers formed a human barrier between them and the woman, who was now being taken away from the scene.

"I don't think this is going to end well," Nori whispered from beside Sedna. She turned to face her friends. "Guys, in case the shit hits the fan, lets hold hands and escape together. That way, one of us doesn't end up in their custody."

The others mumbled an array of "yeah", "sure", "sounds like a good idea", and "roger that". Skeezer grabbed Nori's hand, who took Sedna's hand, who linked her arm around Erica's, who followed suit with Flotsam, who took hold of Jetsam's hand. Together, they were united and ready to run should another riot break out.

And truth be told, it did hit the fan.

"You thief," a giant man with shaggy red hair and a long coarse beard roared from the middle of the crows, "you stole our Ariel and our Victory! You should have died when they hung you! You don't deserve to be a Victor!"

People were now shrieking, running away from this man so that they wouldn't be taken into custody. Peacekeepers were running to the center of the square to apprehend the giant ginger man.

"C'mon, let's go," Skeezer shouted. He began running out of the square, dragging the chain of friends behind him. The six friends began running through the crowd, trying to put as much distance between them and the chaos in the square. Sedna felt as if her arms were going to be torn from their sockets as she ran. Never had she ran so quickly in her life. It was if her legs were on fire. Her lungs itching for air as she couldn't inhale as quickly when on the run.

They ran back to the Breck, their safe haven. As Sedna lived the farthest away from town, they sought refuge at her house. Nini was outside, sitting on the porch and playing with Camouflage, the Cresta's calico cat, who had wandered onto their property.

"What's going on," Nini asked when she was the six teenagers running up to the fence, out of breath and visibly shaken. She stood up, letting Camouflage fall to the ground on her four paws before sprinting away into the bushes. "I thought you were all planning on heckling the Patrick guy."

"Nini, is everyone still here," Sedna asked worriedly. Nini nodded her head, "Mom's inside. And Dad took Arnook down to the marina to go wash down the Aarlu and restock it. Why? What happened?"

"A lot of no good shit happened, that's what," Erica said, ignoring the stare from Sedna for even daring to curse in front of her younger sister. Sedna pushed the door open, where she found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, chatting casually with Mrs. O'Reilly and Mrs. Lee.

"Sedna, what are you doing here? I thought you were all at the square," Mrs. Okpik said, watching in concerned surprise as her daughter and her friends piled into small house. Nori ran up to her mother and buried her face in her breast while Erica wrapped her arms around her own mother and rested her jaw on to of her head. Skeezer, Flotsam, and Jetsam stood by the sofa, unsure of what exactly to do.

"It's starting to turn into a riot out there," Sedna exclaimed, "I think- I think the Peacekeepers shot a guy. And they stunned a woman because she called the Victor's mom a 'sea hag'."

"Wait, that actually happened," Mrs. O'Reilly exclaimed.

"None of us are lying, Mrs. O," Skeezer said solemnly, "we were all there. We heard a gun shot ring out as we were running. We think the guy who was shot was the same one who called the District 1 guy a thief."

"Do you know who the shot man was," Mrs. Lee asked nervously.

"It was a big guy, a giant," Flotsam said, hanging his arms over his head to mimic a gigantic height.  
"With a lot of red hair and a shaggy beard," Jetsam added.

Mrs. Okpik, Mrs. O'Reilly, and Mrs. Lee all exchanged nervous glances at each other. "Muirgheal, that can't be your husband, is it," Mrs. Lee asked nervously, "I know it's not mine. Bob's captaining this week. He's not returning for another fortnight."

Mrs. O'Reilly shook her head, "Neither is mine. Inisheer's hunting for tuna in the southern part of the District. He ain't due back for another week."

"So Daddy's safe then," Nori asked.

"Thank you, all gods of the sea," Erica said, planting a kiss on her mother's head.

"Well, whatever happened, I think it's wise you kids stay put until the ruckus dies down," Mrs. Okpik said. "Most of you live close to town. And it won't be a good thing should you go out and find yourselves in it now. You might get arrested. Those Peacekeepers, they don't care who it is. They probably think we're all hooligans."


	83. Chapter 83

Theme: 47. Creation

The following morning, the residents of District 4 woke up to see their town square resembling the tail end of a riot. Windows to the stores were smashed and broken glass littered the street, along with torn papers, toppled metal barricades, and shattered wagons and carts. Shopkeepers were busy sweeping away the broken glass from their stories and taking inventory of what was stolen during the mutiny while a couple of Peacekeepers were hosing away the garbage with the same water hoses they probably used on the mutineers the night before. Graffiti marred the walls of the alley ways and on the shop doors. Fuck the Capital. Fuck District 1. Fuck Snow scrawled in bright red, dripping paint.

Patrick, the Victor, was long since gone, probably spirited off to another District, where he would once again face a furious crowd.

When it was safe to go out, Sedna, Nori, and Skeezer went out to the town square to see the damage inflicted the day before. Nori let out a low whistle when they first saw a glimpse of the devastation. "And to think this was all caused because we were angry about a Victor," she sighed as they walked through the mostly deserted streets. The only other people who dared to come out were the shopkeepers and a few residents from the Breck, from Cannery Row, and from the Victor's Village who wanted to see how bad things got the day before.

"Good thing we left before things got really bad," Skeezer noted, stepping aside as a Peacekeeper hosed away the section of street he was standing on. As they looked down at the water, they noticed that it was tinged with red.

"Please tell me that's just paint," Sedna said, watching as the red water was hosed away from the street. Neither Nori nor Skeezer said anything.

"How many people do you think were injured," Nori asked.

"I don't know, Mom says that the Peacekeepers brought in, like, thirty or so people and held them over night," Skeezer said, "she actually saw some of then being brought in. She said they looked all knackered, like they were whomped real bad before they were taken to the Headquarters. And at least one dude died."

"Who was he anyway," Sedna asked as she cautiously stepped over a fallen barricade, "I think I've seen him around the Breck but I can't place a name on him."

"Who knows," Nori said, looking up and taking in all the damage created in a span of twenty four hours. There was less damage to the upper floors of some of the buildings, just some broken windows and a couple of hanging shop signs that were now dripping with paint. "I think he was a Cullen. Just about everyone in that family are like, gigantic. With wild red hair."

"You think he might be related to the triplets," Skeezer asked.

"Probably," Nori replied, "still, to think all this was created because we couldn't help but loose our temper when a District 1 jerk-off came into our territory."  
"Seriously, if we keep getting our butts handed to us by that District, it's only going to get worse from here," Sedna said, sighting softly and watching as the candy shop owners were sweeping away the broken glass knocked out from their display windows. "I honestly feel sorry for the next Victor who ends up in District 4 if we do have another riot."


	84. Chapter 84

Theme: 67. Playing the Melody

Sedna Okpik's eighteenth birthday came with little fanfare. When she woke up on that freezing morning in mid-January, on a day typically marked with cloudy gray skies that signaled the powerful, oncoming storms characteristic at that time of year, she didn't feel no different than when she had been seventeen. As she got dressed, she noted that she still looked the same. Still the same height, same weight. Same thick black hair done up in the usual two fishtail braids and same blue-green eyes.

In the kitchen, she found a folded up note and two servings of leftover crab cakes and a bottle of apple juice waiting for her. "Happy Birthday, Sedna," the note read in red ink on the special blue stationary her mother reserved for only the most important occasions, "We can't even tell you how much we are proud of you. Go out and give 'em hell at training today. Love, Mom, Dad, Arnook, and Nini."

She smiled and tucked the note away in her ditty bag for safe keeping.

Chances were likely that this would be her only birthday greeting for today.

Before That Day, Coral made a point to mark Sedna's birthday by decorating her locker with colorful paper she bummed off of the teachers and with a big sign that read "What day is today? It's Sedna's birthday! Oh what a big day! Happy Birthday Sed-nay!" in big, colorful block letters. Cheesy and a bit embarrassing, but Coral always loved a good birthday celebration. And who had the right to deny her that?

But this year, just like the previous years, there was to be no garishly decorated locker door with a goofy birthday message greeting Sedna. And it sent painful stabs into her heart and stomach as she realized that she would no longer receive that wrapped up locker, nor would she return the favor.

The school already assigned Coral's locker to a new girl. And chances are, this new girl wouldn't appreciate going to the locker room to find a sign reading "Happy Birthday, Corrie" taped to the door when her own name is Ondine.

The day wore on like any other. Sedna squeezed in the usual spear practice with Piers before fumbling at archery or knife throwing and trying her best to ignore the snide comments from Monica and her posse.

At lunch, she found herself sitting alone at the table she once shared with Coral, while everyone else congregated with their friends.

Overhead, the intercom speakers crackled to life before the scratchy, metallic voice rang out, "Sedna Okpik, please report to the front office. I repeat, Sedna Okpik, please report to the front office."

Sedna sighed, finishing off the last of her lunch before depositing the tray in the dirty-dishes carousel and walking out of the mess hall, ignoring the stares of the kids who now wondered why she was being summoned to that dreaded front office.

Chances were, they were probably praying that she be kicked out of the Academy.

Sedna thought it was her mother, coming by to pay a special birthday visit.

Instead, she found herself being tackled to the floor by Nori.

"Happy Birthday, Seddie," Nori squealed, releasing her grip and sitting up.

"Nori," Sedna gasped, "what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back at your school?"

"Oh, that" Nori remarked, "yeah, I asked if I could leave for lunch. And they said yes as long as I got back before fifth period started. So here I am to give you your present."

"Ah, Nori, you don't have to do that," Sedna said. Then she noticed the long, wooden neck of a guitar poking from her back. "Seriously, you really don't have to do that. I don't even know how to play the guitar."

"Where'd you get the... oh," Nori sighed, remembered that she had a guitar strapped to her back. "This? Nah. I've got you something better. But we need to go outside. The receptionist won't let me do it here."

Once the two girls were out in the front courtyard, Nori picked up the guitar and began strumming an upbeat rhythm.

"I call this Girl from the Breck," Nori began before launching into song:

Sedna! Girl from the Breck!

She'll give ya a hit cause she don't take a shit.

Knock her down and she'll knock you out.

Just ask Marlin del Ray 'bout the day he regret it,

The day he ate the sand pit,

Fightin' Sedna! The Girl from the Breck!

Oh, Marlin! That fool who thought to pick on the girl.

Who stood at four feet and wore patched o'eralls.

Her hair chopped off when he ruin'd her curls

The girl he called a boy and challenged to brawl,

Unaware that it'd end with her on top and him in a sprawl!

Oh man did he rue that day his ass got capp'd from,

Sedna! The Girl from the Breck!

And Sedna, she may now look like sugar 'n spice,

With her ebony braids and aquamarine eyes,

But inside beats a heart that'll ne'er fade.

A warrior's heart an' spirit that'll be your demise,

When you lose to Sedna with your manhood as the price!

So don't even try to fight,

Sedna! The Girl from the Breck!

She may be poor. And be a fisherman,

But damn, she can pack a wallop an' send a blow,

That'll knock out any tribute to the ground below.

While she wins the Hunger Games show.

And become Sedna! Victor from the Breck!

Sedna! The Girl from the Breck!

Sedna! The Warrior from the Breck!

Sedna! Our Hero from the Breck!

Nori finished her ballad with four hard strikes of the pick against string while Sedna stood open mouthed and in shock. "So, what'd you think? Is this a cool present or not?"

"That was pretty amazing," Sedna said though secretly she was a little embarrassed. While the song was catchy, Nori O'Reilly wasn't the greatest singer District 4 had to offer and her guitar playing could use a little more practice. And who knows who else could have been listening to this song.

Sedna silently prayed that Monica didn't hear or else she would have to spend the rest of the year listening to crude reprises of "The Girl from the Breck".

"Well, in all due honesty, it wasn't all of me who did this song. I just got the idea," Nori admitted, "Skeezer helped me with the music and taught me how to play the chords, oh, and lent me the guitar. And I paid Erica off with a bag of my mom's tuna jerky if she could write the lyrics."

"And it's great," Sedna lied, "but how about you save this song for when I actually deserve to have a ballad written about me. I haven't done anything yet to deserve it."

Nori simply pouted, her green eyes widening and glistening with tears. "You sure?"

"It's a lovely present, but I'm not a hero. Not yet, at least."

Nori simply smiled and strapped the guitar to her back. "You're right. It feels weird singing about you winning the Hunger Games when it hasn't even happened. And I have plenty of time practice for when you come home as a Victor. Though I'm gonna need more tuna jerky if Erica's gonna add on to the ballad about all the cool shit you're gonna do."

"Yeah," Sedna said, faking a smile, "the finished product will be something."

That is, if I actually survive these Games and live to hear this song. Or else it'll end with me getting my ass handed over by some other Tribute.


	85. Chapter 85

Theme: 52. Deep in Thought

Later that day, as Sedna was walking out of the school, she found Nori waiting for her by the gate. "Did Erica come up with some new verses," Sedna asked curiously.

Nori shook her head. "Nah," she replied, "I just wanted to surprise you by walking home together. We haven't done that in years. And since you mentioned yesterday that your mom wanted you back before five today, I figured now would be the time."

Sedna smiled and they began walking down the street. It was a market day and the square was bustling with people hocking their wares, carting wagons of fish for sale, or making the day's purchases. The whole place smelled like the inside of a canning factory and it was hard to run down the cobblestone streets without slipping and falling on the damp ground.

Sedna didn't speak for the longest time. It was as if her mind was a million miles away, contemplating what she was going to do later that night.

"Yo... Sedna... Seddie... earth to Sedna, you're drifting off again," Nori shouted. Sedna snapped out of her daydream state and stared at Nori.  
"Yeah," she asked.

"What's up with you, you're getting all spacey," Nori said, "you're like Skeezer whenever he smokes too much of his herb. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Everything is all right. I was just thinking about something."

"Care to explain what it is?"

"It's between me and the family to discuss. But I'll tell it to you late, Nori. You aren't mad, right?"

"Mad? Nah. It's impossible to get me pissed off," Nori said, "I may be ginger, but I'm probably the least angry redhead in District 4."

"Alright, because I'm just hoping my family is alright with what I'm going to tell them."

"Knowing them, and how they've been supporting you, I think you'll do fine."

"Really?"

"Really. You can trust me on that."


	86. Chapter 86

Theme: 53. Keeping a Secret

There weren't a lot of ways to celebrate a birthday in the Breck. Some times, they would host a party in which everyone brought a meal. And other times, it would just be a simple family gathering with a small cake or some other sweet treat.

Later that night, the Okpik family gathered around the kitchen table, which was laden with a small chocolate cake Mrs. Okpik picked up from the bakery earlier that day. The cake was lovely, frosted with pink roses around the border with the words 'Happy Birthday Sedna' neatly written in curly, pink letters. Once the family sang a birthday song, Sedna blew out the candles to the sound of their clapping.

"I can't believe you're eighteen now," Mrs. Okpik sighed sadly, "it feels like only yesterday you were just a little girl, beating up boys on the playground."

"Oh Mom," Sedna sighed, rolling her eyes.

"But seriously, you're all grown up now," Arnook said, "just one more Reaping Ceremony and that's it for you. Until you have kids, then that part is going to start sucking all over again."

Sedna fell silent. "Actually, about the Reaping. There's something I want to tell you all. Can we sit down for this?"

The family sat around the table. Sedna looked around and saw her family looking back at her. "About the Reaping," she said in a calm voice, even though she was secretly terrified inside, "I've decided that I am going to volunteer for the next Hunger Games. So this might end up being my last birthday together as a family."

Everyone fell silent, unsure of what to say next.

"I was wondering when you were going to announce it."

Everyone turned to see Mr. Okpik, his head bowed down. "I've always had a feeling you were going to volunteer," he said, "after all, you've been training for ten years. And it's not in the Okpik nature to just give up. We fight until the very end. I was just wondering when you were going to announce it. And, I- I support your decision. You're an adult now. It's time you started making adult decisions."

"So do I," Arnook said, "like Dad said. We don't give up without a fight. And to not volunteer, well, that might as well be giving up because you're letting someone else go in your place."

"What Arnook said too," Nini added, solemnly, "but Sedna, if you go, please win this. Win so that I can say that my sister is the bravest girl to ever come from District 4."

Mrs. Okpik sat silently in her chair, her green eyes on the cake and on no one else. "Sedna, I know you're an adult now. But are you sure you want to go ahead with this?"

"Yes."

No one said a thing until Mrs. Okpik spoke up again, "then it's your decision. I can't tell you what to do anymore. You're old enough to decide for yourself. But please, if you do go into the Games, please survive. I don't want to lose my first baby. You're my first born and I'll always love you. But please come back."

"I know," Sedna said, reaching over and holding her mothers hand in her own.

"I've almost lost you once before," Mrs. Okpik whispered, raising her hand and cupping Sedna's cheek with it, "I don't want to lose you again."

"One more thing," Sedna added, "I don't want anyone else to find out that I'm volunteering. Can we keep this as a family secret? If Monica finds out what I plan to do, she'll find a way to oust me out of training. And I can't risk it."

Everyone murmured their agreement.

"Seriously, no one outside of this household can find out about this."

"We don't tell anyone," Mr. Okpik said, "it'll just be our little secret."


	87. Chapter 87

Theme: 23. Cat

"Daww, look at dah wittle kitteh," Nini squeals. She drops down onto her knees so that her eyes are level with that of the cat curled up on the gravel. It's a big, fat tom with black and white fur and wide green eyes. He had stretched his body out on the path so that his fluffy white belly was exposed to the sun, inviting any admirer to come and pet it.

Nini reached out and scratched underneath his chin. The cat closed his eyes and purred loudly in content. Sedna couldn't help but smile as her little sister continued to lavish the cat with attention. This was the closest she could ever get to having a pet. The Okpik's didn't have a cat of their own. Mr. Okpik always said, "we don't have the room", despite Nini's pleas that she would let the cat sleep on her bed and feed him scraps from her plate at dinner. Personally, Sedna thought it was because their dad doesn't think Nini was responsible enough to take care of a cat.

Cats are a popular pet in District 4. Most of their neighbors have cats, and not a day goes by where you don't see the Cresta's gorgeous calico Camouflage sunning herself on their front porch or the Torrance's grey stripped Mr. Chippy fighting with Jonesy, the Cullen's vicious orange tabby.

There is a superstition in 4 that cats are good luck. They are supposed to have these powers that protect ships from dangerous weather. So that's why whenever a ship or a trawler goes out to sea, there is always a cat on board. Mr. Okpik says that it's handy to have a cat. They're able to detect changes in the weather like low atmospheric pressure, which is supposed to signal an oncoming storm.

"Plus, they make for great mousers," he explained.

"Aww, Dammit, did you find a new girlfriend," a voice croons from the house Nini and Sedna are in front of. The front door opened and Erica walked outside to meet them. Like the other times Sedna had seen her, she carried around a notebook in one hand. She loves writing, Erica. Always telling and writing stories to the amusement of the neighborhood kids. But she also a problem regarding her word choice...

"Really, Erica," Sedna chat sized, "I know you like swearing and all. But did you have to name him Dammit?"

"Actually, his real name is Jack," she says. She plops down next to the cat and begins rubbing his underarms. As she sat down, her huge, black framed glasses slid down her nose. She used her middle finger to push it up on the bridge. "I just call him that because, well, he's pretty fucking stupid to begin with. Every time he does something bad, we're always saying 'dammit, get off of that' or 'dammit, that's not a toy' or 'dammit, don't eat that'. Plus, it's pretty funny to say 'Dammit, get in the house' when you want him inside."

"He's a real sweetheart," Nini says. She's now moved her hand from his chin to his big, soft belly.

"He is," Erica agrees, still rubbing his armpits. "He loves the ladies."

Jack, because Sedna refused to call him Dammit, purrs loudly and begins rubbing his body against Nini's leg. She let out a squeal of delight and continued rubbing his furry, fat body.

"Aww, he likes you," Erica says. Nini smiled and said, "Well, I like you too, Dammit."

"C'mon, Nini, we still have to go to the Market," Sedna said, "you can play with the cat when we get back."

Nini frowned. Her gaze shifted from her, to Jack, to Erica.

"You should listen to your sister," Erica said. "Don't worry, Dammit will still be here when you get back."

"If you say so," Nini says. She sat up and brushed the gravel dust off of her bare knees. She followed Sedna down the road, looking back every now and then to see Jack and Erica until they disappeared into the horizon.

"I wish I had a cat," Nini said longingly as they walked into the marketplace. Sedna was digging through her money pouch to make sure they have enough to get what Mrs. Okpik wanted for dinner tonight: oil, bread, milk, eggs.  
"I like him to be black and white like Dammit. But I'm okay with any other cat," Nini continued. "He just has to be friendly. Not a jerk like Jonesy. And he has to like girls."

"Whatever you say, Nin," Sedna said with some disinterest. She walked up to the egg stall and begin looking through a carton, marking sure that the contents weren't broken or cracked.

"Sedna," Nini asked.  
"Yeah?"

"If you win the Hunger Games, can we get a cat," Nini asked.

"You have to ask Dad," Sedna said. She took a carton of eggs to the lady who ran the stand. When she was done paying for them, she put the eggs in the canvas shopping bag.

"I know, but still," Nini continued as they walked to the bakery, "if you win, we'll get to move into the Victor's Village. And the houses there are huge. There's plenty of room for a cat. Or twenty."

"I think one cat will be enough," Sedna said. She selected a baguette from a batch behind the shopkeeper and paid for it.

"Yeah, you're right," Nini mused. "But Sedna?"

"Yeah?"

"If you win, can you convince Dad that I should get a cat?"

Sedna looked down at Nini. Although she had just turned thirteen, she still retained a little bit of girlish innocence from her childhood. Her blue eyes were wide, so big and innocent that you couldn't help but gush over how cute she looked. This was Nini's secret weapon to getting whatever she wanted. At least, whatever she wanted from anyone who wasn't Mr. Okpik. It never works on him.

"Alright, Nini," Sedna sighed. She took the baguette and stuffed it in the bag. "If I win the Hunger Games, then I'll convince Dad to get a cat. You happy now?"

Nini flashed me a wide, toothy grin and she bobbed her head up and down like a buoy on a windy day. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you," she chanted as they left the bakery.

Why not, Sedna thought as they continued their errands. Nini spends the entire time blabbering about what cat they're going to get, what she is going to name him, and what she'll feed him and where she'll let him sleep.

After all, Reaping Day isn't for another few months, Sedna thought, she has plenty of time to prove herself responsible for Dad.


	88. Chapter 88

Theme: 33. Expectations

"Please don't let me screw this up," Sedna found herself thinking in the days leading up to the Reaping, "if I am going into the Games. Don't let me screw this up or else no one will ever let me live it down. I don't want to die. Just want Monica to learn her lesson."

And then there was Monica, who had different ideas. "Don't even think about volunteering," she sneered, "you're just going to end up dead in a day. So why don't you let a real Career handle it."

If Sedna was to go into the Games, she would be met with two expectations. One was not to die, not to screw this up. The other was that she would die a horrible death to that Monica would never, ever let her live it down.


	89. Chapter 89

Theme: Fortitude.

Once, Erica gave Sedna a note with a quote written on it. It read:

"And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high."

-Anonymous

"I found it in a book in," Erica explained, "I think you might like it."

Soon, Sedna began writing down the quote on scraps of paper and pinning it where ever she could. On her bed, so she could see it every morning, on the fridge door as she got a drink, and in her locker at the Academy so she would be reminded every time. You can do this, you just need the fortitude to carry on.

"Everything might suck right now, but I just have to get through it," Sedna kept reminding herself as she trudged through every training day. Every day where Monica and her lackeys would make snide comments behind her back or when they whisper, "go home. You can't win this. Why even try?"

And every day, she would practice until late at night. And each day, she got better and better until it was possible that she could win these Games single handedly. Hosea beamed at her when she got the spears into their targets and Sedna smiled back.

"I think you're ready," he exclaimed one after noon, just two weeks before the next Reaping Day.

"You think so," Sedna asked.

"Positive. I haven't seen a tribute this well since Finnick."

Sedna smiled and gave Hosea a tight hug. "Thank you."

Well, here was the limit. There was nothing left to train. She was ready for the Games if it happened tomorrow. And she felt that she was ready for it. With everything that happened to her, she could fly very high.


	90. Chapter 90

Theme: 40. Rated

On the last day before instruction at the Career Academy, evaluations were posted up on the main message board in the hallway. This was less like an evaluations or a ratings system and more like a ranking one.

For the 17/18 year old age group, the best students at the Academy was such:

Frank Pescado

Monica Davenport

Sedna Okpik

Laguna Newporte

Tethys Greco

Despite being rated the third best trainee in her year, Sedna really didn't pay much attention to the board.

After all, it was as if the rankings system was going to stop her from volunteering. Her volunteering was going to happen, no matter what anyone said.


	91. Chapter 91

Theme: 56. Danger Ahead

On the final day if instruction at the Career Academy, two days before Reapings for the 61st Hunger Games began, the headmaster called for the five remaining members of the 17/18 age group to join him in the auditorium.

"I want to say that I am very proud of you five today," the headmaster began, "not many students can have the honor of making it to the 17/18 age bracket. Out of a class that began with thirty students, only five of you remain. You should all be very proud of yourselves for making it this far, for you have all proven that you possess the strength and fortitude to make it into the Hunger Games. Unfortunately, we can only send one young man and one young woman to the Capital to represent District 4."

The headmaster reached into his suit jacket pocket and pulled a small slip of paper from it. "The tributes who will be representing District 4 in the 61st Hunger Games will be..." he unfolded the paper and read it off, "Frank Pescado and Monica Davenport."

Clapping arose from the small audience. Frank gave a cocky smirk while Monica beamed with pride. Laguna and Tethys clapped wildly for their friend while Sedna only clapped out of the sake of being polite.

"For those I haven't called out, I want you all to know that you should be proud of all the hard work you put in during the years spent here as a trainee," the headmaster continued, "even if you aren't in the Games, that makes you no less stronger, braver, or courageous than Mr. Pescado and Ms. Davenport. May you all have a happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

After emptying her locker of her things, and ignoring Monica and her goon squad, who was talking loudly how great it is that she is going into the Games, Sedna walked back to the training center, where she found Hosea packing away the spear.

"I heard about whose going into the Games," Hosea said, "I'm really sorry to hear about that. You might still have a chance to go in if you get Reaped."

Instead, Sedna dropped her bag to the floor and asked, "do you think we might squeeze in one last practice session for today?"

At three in the afternoon, after Hosea insisted that Sedna go home and rest for the day, she was let out. Thankfully, Monica, Laguna, and Tethys wasn't there to meet her and taunt her on the way home.

"I guess they've finally given up," Sedna thought. After all, what was the point to trying to get rid of another trainee when you finally achieved what you wanted?

As she walked by the bakery, Tethys stood on the front steps talking to Mr. Mayer, the owner, as she was leaving with a large sheet cake. "Did you hear that Monica is going to be volunteering for the Games?"

"No, I haven't," Mr. Mayer said, wiping his hands on his apron. "But I look forward to seeing her in the Games."

Several feet away, Laguna was telling the sweet shop owners the same thing. "Monica is going into the Games," she announced gleefully.

"Really? Then maybe District 4 will get another Victor," Hurley Gillman said. "When she does though, tell her to kick the District 1 tribute's asses for us," Genny, his new wife, said. "They aren't going to get away with killing Eric and Ariel!"

At the rate those two are going, everyone in 4 is going to know, Sedna thought. But maybe that was the point. Maybe Monica wanted everyone to know so that way, she will scare off anyone who is even thinking of volunteering.

People like Sedna.

Sedna took a turn on the dirt road leading up to the Breck. On the way home, she encountered Nori, dressed in cargo shorts and a bikini top, clutching her surfboard by her side.

"Hey Sedna, wanna walk down to the cove with me," she asked.

"Sure."

They began down a narrow length of dirt road fringed with sea grass and wild ice plants in full bloom, never saying anything. When they got to the beach, Nori began to paddle out while Sedna stripped down to her underwear and started swimming behind her. When they were in deep water, Nori laid down on her board while Sedna floated on the surface of her back.

"I heard what's going to happen on Reaping Day," Nori said, "Sedna, I'm really sorry to hear about that. I know you've been training so hard for this! And now that bitch has to up and take it away for you. It's as if those ten years have been wasted."

"Monica isn't going into the Games," Sedna said bluntly.

"Say what?"

"Monica isn't going into the Games," Sedna repeated, "I'm going to volunteer."

Nori laid on the board, staring up at the sky. For several minutes, all they could hear was the shrill calls of the sea gulls circling over head, the distant barking of sea lions, and the crashing waves on the beach ahead. "For realsies?"

"Positive," Sedna said, "I'm been training for these Games since I was eight. And I'm not letting it go to waste just so that bimbo from the Victors Village goes."

"It's going to be a dangerous undertaking," Nori said softly.

"I know that. But no mission is without its risks. I know what mine are."

"Try telling that to every tribute who volunteered before you and died. Eric, Murdann, Delmara, Ariel..."

"They probably knew too, or else they wouldn't have volunteered. Nori, you have to trust me when I say that I am ready to go into these Games. I have been training too long and too hard so that bimbo doesn't go. She doesn't deserve it, but I think I earned it. I know it's going to be dangerous, but after all that I've been through, I can handle it."

They laid in silence for several more minutes before Nori spoke up again, "if you do go into the Games, please take care of yourself. I want my best girl friend back. Monica already took away one potential friend. I'm not going to lose another."


	92. Chapter 92

Theme: 32. Night

Sedna and Nori remained in the cove until long past sunset. They laid on the beach and watched as the sun sank into the horizon, darkening the skies in that same inky blue color. Stars began to appear, along with a full, golden moon shining in the sky like a light house beacon.

"I've never noticed how pretty the stars are at night," Sedna said.

"I hear that in some Districts, you can't even see the stars. They're all covered up with smoke pouring out from all the factories," Nori said. "I think we're really lucky to be here then."

"For sure. Even if I had the choice, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."

They fell silent and instead just looked up at the stars. "Hey look, the North Star," Nori said, pointing out to one particularly shining star in the sky, "if you follow it, you will always find your way home."

Sedna smiled. "I hope I can still see the stars in the Arena."

"They're almost always outdoor themes. I think you will."

"It'll be nice. Lying in a forest, ears peeled for Mutts or other Tributes, and looking up at that North Star. Maybe it won't be able to lead me home, but I will be thinking of it."

"The sky looks the same in any place. Maybe at night, we'll both be looking up at it and thinking of each other that way. You'll see that star and think how it's shining back at District 4 and I'll be thinking the same with you."

"I kind of like that."

Sedna and Nori began holding hands. "That'll be our star then," Sedna said, "we'll both look up at it at night and know that we're seeing the same thing. That way, we'll be together in a way."

Suddenly, a silvery shooting star darted through the sky. "Look," Nori shrieked, "Seddie, make a wish!"

Sedna closed her eyes and began wishing that she will win the Games and come back to District 4 alive. Nori too closed her eyes. When they opened them again, Nori asked, "so, what did you wish for?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true," Sedna said.

Nori shrugged her shoulder, "yeah, that's probably a good idea. But knowing me, you'd already have guessed."

How can I not, Sedna thought, you want me to come back alive. You don't want to lose me, do you?


	93. Chapter 93

Theme: 94. Last Hope

The path to the cove was very close to the group of stilted houses where Dana Plymouth lived.

As Sedna and Nori walked down the path back to the Breck, a loud whistle overhead caused them to look up. Dana Plymouth sat in her wheelchair, looking over the side of the porch.

"Sedna, can I speak with you please? Alone," Dana asked. She had a tone of resentment in her voice.

"This can't be good," Sedna muttered. She turned to Nori. "You should get back home. I'll see you soon."

"Okay then," Nori said, and with that, she continued walking on, her board tucked her her arm. Sedna took a deep breath and began climbing up the ramp that led to Dana's house. Dana sat waiting for her.

"I heard what happened to today," Dana said. She wheeled her chair back to the rail, looking out to the horizon. "Monica Davenport will be District 4's female tribute. Nettie told me today, but I shouldn't blame her. She can't remember how much I hate her."

Sedna said nothing. She merely stood by the rail, watching Dana as she looked out at the dark sea in front of her.

"I was really hoping it would be you," Dana continued, "you're the only one of us left. And I was just hoping so badly it wouldn't be her going into the Games. I was really banking on you. Do you know how infuriating it is to see that bitch go into the Games when she took away my chance? I can't walk anymore because of her, and now she gets to have my dream."

Dana wheeled herself around, revealed her tear-streaked face. "I've dreamed of being a Victor since I was a baby. I grew up hearing stories about my uncle's Victor girlfriend and of seeing her come to our house all the time. I've rewatched her Games so many times, dreaming of being in the Tribute Parade, getting a 10 in training, wearing an amazing dress and being interviewed by Casesar Flickerman, getting to win for District 4! When Monica took away that dream, she took away a big chunk of my life. All those years spent training and dreaming, all gone. Do you know how hard it is for me to see that bitch continue while I'm trapped in a wheelchair? I can't even bear going to the Victor's Village to visit my uncle and Aunt Ummi and their new baby because I'm always reminded of what I can't have. And she gets to have it."

Tears were continuing to run down Dana's cheeks. "Sedna, you're the only girl from the Breck left who is eligible to volunteer. We don't have our chance anymore, but you do. Please. I don't want to spend the rest of my life seeing Monica being a Victor. I just don't."

Dana wheeled herself down the wooden porch. "I can't get out of attending the Reaping. But Sedna, I know you hate Monica as much as I do. I trust you to make the right decision. And if you do, please know that you're the last hope left. You're the only person left standing in between Monica and that crown she doesn't deserve. When you do, just know that I'll be cheering for you. We all will. See you in a few days."


	94. Chapter 94

Theme: 46. Family

On the day before the Reaping, Mrs. Okpik announced at breakfast that the family will be going on an excursion.

"I want to do something special before tomorrow," she said, "we haven't done anything as a family together. This might be our last chance."

Sedna stared guiltily at her bowl of porridge made of tesserae grain, topped with flakes of dried fish.

"Aw, Sedna, don't take that as a bad thing. Today's going to be a happy day. So only think about happy thoughts," Mrs. Okpik said, smiling. "Please?"

What other choice did she have? Sedna looked up and smiled back. "I will, Mom."

After a round of voting, it was decided that the Okpik family will go sailing. Mr. Okpik kept a small keel boat dubbed the Aarlu docked at the marina frequently used by the residents of the Breck and they could sail out to the landmark known as the mile buoy, the farthest recreational boats are allowed to go out. And with the weather conditions outside being hot and sunny with a slight breeze, it just called for a sailing trip.

Mr. Okpik and Arnook took off to prepare the Aarlu for the upcoming trip while Mrs. Okpik and Nini busied themselves in the kitchen, preparing lunch and dinner. In the fridge, there were leftover meats, rolls, canisters of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise, apples, and several chocolate snack cakes. All things Sedna had nicked from the canteen through out the week. As Mrs. Okpik and Nini put together sandwiches, Sedna stood off to the side, unsure what to do now.

"You want me to help," Sedna asked.

"No, we're fine," Mrs. Okpik said. "Wait... on second thought. There's a big picnic basket in our bedroom closet. Be a dear and get that, will you?"

Sedna walked into her parents bedroom and opened the closet door. Pulling a chair over to the closet and using it as a step ladder, she got the basket down, almost falling off and hitting her head on the corner of the bed. As she returned the chair to the small dressing table that was pushed to one corner of the room, Sedna paused briefly to trace the objects on the table top. Here was a mirror, there a brush with wiry, cream-colored bristles with a matching comb carved out of bone. A small, wooden jewelry box inlaid with a colorful mosaic sat off to one side and an empty brass oil lamp on the other side. And resting in the center was a large doily crocheted in a fine cotton yard.

Sedna briefly thought back to her childhood as she lightly brushed the items with her fingers, recalling how, as a very small girl, she would sit on the end of the bed and watch her mother brush out her curly, dark brown hair before tying it up in her scarf and before putting on those big, gold hoop earrings from the mosaic box.

"Sedna," Mrs. Okpik called out, "did you find the basket?"

"Yeah! I'll be out there in a minute," Sedna shouted. She took the basket from where she laid it on the bed. But before leaving the room, she went back to the dressing table and rested her free hand on the mosaic box, wondering if she will be able to see any of these things again.

When she returned to the front of the house, Sedna put the basket on the kitchen table and helped her mother and sister pack it with the foodstuffs that they will need. Inside went the sandwiches, the apples, the snack cakes, the metal flasks filled with icy water. When they were done, Mrs. Okpik clapped her hands together and said, "okay! Let's go find your dad and brother!"

Mrs. Okpik and her daughters walked down the street, past all the houses Sedna had walked by every morning for the last ten years. As it was a day off, families were taking advantage of the free time to enjoy it. Kids were playing in their front yards while cats sunned themselves on the porches or from hammocks. She looked around, taking in these sights for what could be the last time.

The marina was located just south of the town square, with a paved road leading from the market place down to the harbor. The docks were surrounded by a wire fence that was locked up, an anti-theft measure. Mrs. Okpik took a key from a lanyard she wore around her neck and unlocked one of the fence doors, swinging it open and allowing her daughters to pass first before following them.

Mr. Okpik and Arnook were waiting for them. Arnook sitting on the edge of the Aarlu, his legs dangling over the edge while Mr. Okpik finished hoisting the sail.

"Ahoy, ladies," Mr. Okpik called out as he caught sight of his wife and daughters. Mrs. Okpik handed the picnic basket to Arnook, who set it down beside him. Nini tried clambering up the side, but as she was still so small, Mr. Okpik had to hoist her up. Mrs. Okpik followed. "Sedna, will you have the honor of casting off?"

"Seriously?"

"Why not?"

Sedna grinned broadly. She walked to the stern and rested her hands on the hull, pushing it up the dock. She ran faster and faster down the dock until the boat was now sailing off into the channel. She felt a pair of strong hands encircle her outstretched ones, and then the feeling of weightlessness before feeling her feet land on the deck. Mr. Okpik helped her up. "You did good," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," she said. Mr. Okpik grinned back and ruffled her dark hair before walking down the deck and taking command of the wheel from Mrs. Okpik, who was steering the Aarlu

The Aarlu cut through the channel and into the mouth of the bay before drifting out to sea. Sedna, Arnook, and Nini leaned over the rail, watching as District 4 grew smaller and smaller in the horizon before it looked like a miniature.

"I hope there are seals out on the mile buoy," Nini said, "they're so cute!"

"It'll be cooler if we see some dolphins," Sedna said, "I'd like to see at least one before the end of the day."

Arnook let out a groan, "c'mon, those are sissy animals."

Sedna crossed her arms, "oh yeah, Arnie? And what do you think you're gonna see? Mermaids?"

"That'll be really awesome," Arnook replied, grinning, "But sadly, that will never happen. District 4's only mermaid is probably swimming with Eric now."

The three kids fell silent, staring out at the ever decreasing District 4 and keeping their eyes peeled for any sea animals that will come their way.

When he reached the mile buoy, Mr. Okpik dropped anchor and abandoned his station, joining his wife at the bow. He sat down next to her and gave her a kiss on the lips. Sedna, Arnook, and Nini, who were still standing by the edge of the boat, let out loud groans. Nini stuck her tongue out while Arnook shouted, "oh get a room you two!"

Their parents broke off their kiss and looked back at their children. "How about you kids go swimming," Mrs. Okpik suggested.

"Way ahead of you," Arnook called out, stripping off his shirt and sandals before climbing over the side and jumping off. Sedna and Nini went into the cabin and returned minutes later changed into swimsuits before diving off into the open water.

Sedna let out a shriek of delight as her body hit the cold water. The waters closed overhead and she opened her eyes to see a murky, blue world that seemed to go on for miles. Underfoot, sea otters were darting through the kelp forest, swimming up to the surface. Feeling her eyes beginning to sting from the briny water, Sedna paddled up to the surface.

The first thing she saw when her head breached the surface was the wide expanse of clear blue skies. Floating on her back, she spent a long while staring back up at the sky, casually doing a backstroke around the perimeter of the Aarlu. She savored the salty sea smell and the calming caresses of the water as it lapped around her body. It all felt comforting, familiar, as if she was spending time with an old friend.

Something rubbery brushed up against her back. Sedna let out a gasp of surprise, righting herself up, and frantically searching for whatever touched her back. Nini, who was just feet away, giggled at her sister's overreaction. "It's just a dolphin," Nini shouted, turning her head to watch as the dolphin leaped through the shallow waves and past the mile buoy, "aww, it's so cute! I wish I could go after it and give it a hug."

"Do you have to hug ever animal that you meet," Sedna shouted back.

"No, only the cute ones," Nini replied before diving under. Sedna was about to fall back onto her back and continue backstroking around the boat when she felt water slash up onto her face. She turned in the direction of the slasher and found Arnook grinning back at her.

"Betchya I can hold my breath longer than you," Arnook yelled.

"Oh, you're on," Sedna yelled back, even though she knew these games were childish. On the other hand, she also knew this might her last chance to let loose and have some fun. After all, today was a family day. And she knew she had to make it count because it might be their last.

"I'd like to see you try," Arnook said before taking a deep breath and sinking to the surface.

"Of course I will!" And with that, Sedna sucked in a lungful of air before diving underneath the surface.


	95. Chapter 95

Theme: Stars

The Okpik's remained in the bay until long past sunset. When the sun set and the stars began appearing in the darkening sky, Sedna, Arnook, and Nini spread some blankets they found in the cabin out on the deck and laid down on them.

When they were younger, the Okpik children would often look up at the stars and identity all the constellations present, competing over who could label the most constellations. Tonight, they didn't play that game although Nini, who was too young to be able to identify the stars other than Orion and the Big Dipper, pointed out new ones she didn't notice when she was little.

"Hey look," she said, pointing up to one formation, "there's Draco. And over there," shifting her finger to two starry lines, "Gemini."

Arnook pointed up to one bright red star, "I haven't seen that one before."

"Where is it," Sedna asked, straining her eyes against the darkness.

"The red one, behind Orion."

Sedna pinpointed the star where Arnook said he saw it. "Arnie, that's not a star. That's Mars," she corrected him.

"You can see the planets from here," Nini asked, "cool!"

"They laid down in silence before several minutes before Nini spoke up again.

"I hope you win," she said in a soft voice, "then we can be a family again. And we'll get to live in a mansion and I can finally get my cat."

"I do too," Arnook said, "have you seen the pools the Victor's Village has? I am going to host so many crazy parties there. And all the girls will totally want to go out with me. Arnook, the guy with the famous sister and host of the most awesome parties!"

Sedna chuckled at her siblings' wild dreams. "But let's be realistic," she said, "there's a chance I might not come home."

"I hope that doesn't happen," Nini said, taking Sedna's hand and squeezing it tightly, "I don't want to lose my only sister."

"I try not to think about it," Arnook, crossing his arms over his chest, admitted. "Though it'll be weird not having you around."

"Just because I'll die doesn't mean I'm gone forever," Sedna said, "I'll still be around. You know what, let me tell you this. When I'm dead, I want you guys to look up at the sky."

"Okay," Arnook said. Nini didn't respond.

"I want you two to look up at night, up at Mars," she instructed, :and look for the brightest star near it. It'll be a new one, but it'll be there. And when you do, you'll know that I'm up there, watching after you guys."

"You'll be a star when you die," Nini asked. Her face took on a confused look.

"Something like that," Sedna said.

"That sounds weird, but I'll take your word for it," Arnook said. "Look for the brightest star around Mars. Because my dead sister is there, watching us."

"Will you do it anyway," Sedna asked.

"I will," Nini promised.

Arnook fell silent, gnawing on the inside of his cheek, before speaking up, "Sure, But I'd prefer my sister to come back in people form, not as a star."

"That's not the point," Sedna groaned, convinced that her brother was the biggest idiot in District 4 for not understanding her analogy. "the point is. I might die. And if I do, I want you two to understand that I am still going to be here, just in spirit. I'll be watching you from above."

"Personally, I like the star idea," Nini said, "that way, I'll tell my friends that you're up on a star and watching over me."

Arnooked turned to his sister with a serious look on his face. "Just come back alive," he said, "my friends will not believe me when I tell them that you're hanging out on Mars. People will think I'm crazy. And let me tell you this, girls don't want a crazy boyfriend."


	96. Chapter 96

Theme: 68. Hero

When he felt it was time to leave, Mr. Okpik took to the helm of the boat and steered it back to the docks. After sailing the boat back into port, Arnook jumped off and landed on the dock, taking one end of the mooring line with him and tying it around the cleat. When he was done, Arnook gave his dad a thumbs up, a signal that the boat was safely tied up and ready to disembark.

"Ladies first," Mr. Okpik said, leading Nini across the deck and helping her get off. Sedna followed, and after her, Mrs. Okpik, who continued to hold her husband's until he too was on solid ground. When they were all off the boat, they walked up the dock and out of the marina.

When they reached home, Mr. Okpik turned to his children and said, "it's getting late. I want you kids in bed as soon as possible. No monkey business out of all of you. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Sedna, Arnook, and Nini nodded their heads before going inside and leaving for their rooms. Nini clambered up the ladder to her bunk and collapsed onto her back while Sedna sat down on the bottom.

"My last night in this room," she thought, looking around and letting every single detail sink in, sure that she will not be coming back after tomorrow. She took in the old white curtains with the pink sea horses and orange clam shells stitched on the hem, the dirty white walls pinned with their childhood drawings and the huge poster of Finnick Odair that Nini stole when he was made a Victor, the battered wooden furniture and the collection of sea shells that littered the dresser top. There was the mirror hanging over it, draped with strings of shells and some of Nini's beaded necklaces. And looking into that mirror was Sedna, looking tired and nervous, her hands resting the quilted bedspread.

Nini peered over the edge of the bed and noticed her sister sitting still and staring into the mirror.

"What are you doing," Nini asked.

"I'm saying goodbye," Sedna answered.

"Oh."

"Can't sleep?"

Nini shook her head. "I'm a little scared," she admitted.

Sedna smiled. "So am I. Anything can happen in those Games."

"Yeah."

"You should go to sleep," Sedna suggested, "that way you won't be dead on your feet tomorrow morning."

"I don't want to. What if I get a nightmare?"

"Then don't think about the negatives. Think about the cat we're going to get when I come home. What do you want to name it?"

"Dammit," Nini said, smiling.

"Other than Dammit," Sedna said, "Mom and Dad are not going to like you naming our cat after a swear word."

"Ok," she said, "I also like Sandy and Ginger. I don't know which I like better. But our cat will either be Sandy or Ginger."

"Those are nice names. You should totally dream about your Sandy and Ginger kitties," Sedna suggested.

She laid down on the bottom bunk and curled her arms under the pillow.

"Sedna," Nini asked.

"Yeah?"

"No matter what happens in the next few weeks, I just want you to know, you're still going to be my hero," Nini said.

Senda smiled. "Thanks, Nini. I promise I won't disappoint you."

Nini fell into a deep slumber, dreaming about the cat she longed for, while Sedna laid awake below.

Great, she thought, another person I can't disappoint.

Never in her entire life has she realized how much pressure she was under until now.


	97. Chapter 97

Theme: 48. Childhood

Sedna woke up the following morning with one thing on her mind.

Reaping Day, she thought, slipping out of bed and pulling on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from the floor and looking out the window. It was bright and sunny out, and the hibiscus bush planted outside her window gently wafted in the breeze. As she walked down the hallway, she heard her parents talking in the kitchen, the gentle clattering of pots and pans following as they prepared breakfast. When she got closer, she noticed her parents in the kitchen. Her father was standing at the stove, frying some left over fish in a skillet while her mother stood at the sink, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Where are you going," Mrs. Okpik asked.

"To the beach," Sedna replied.

"Alright, but be back soon. You don't want to miss eating your dad's famous fish fry, now do you? You won't be getting the chance for a long time," Mr. Okpik said, never looking up from his cooking.

Sedna walked outside onto the front porch and began treading down the worn old path to the white, rather battered gate. As she turned around, she looked back on the house she grew up in. It was just a simple, one story cottage with battered, white siding with peeling paint and a blue door. Wind chimes hung on the porch, along with a battered old swing where the family would take their dinners out to eat during the hot summer nights. But it was home. The only home she had ever known.

And she might not see it again.

"Goodbye, until I come back again," Sedna said, bidding goodbye to her childhood home before walking down the road.


	98. Chapter 98

Theme: 99. Solitude

Although it was early, 9. A.M to be precise, the streets were deserted. Everyone in the Breck was probably taking advantage of the holiday to sleep in. She walked down the pathway that was lined with sea grass and a thick growth of ice plant down to the shore. There, she found the beach deserted. Save for a couple of surfers bobbing up and down in the water, hoping to catch a few waves before the Reaping. But she didn't mind them. They were so few, and she had the strand all to herself.

She laid down, burrowing her arms and legs underneath the sand and savoring its familiar warmth, like the cats that roamed the Breck. It felt so good to be alone and having the beach all to herself. Here, no one could disturb her. There was no incessant chatter from beach combers and kids playing in the water. There was only the crashing waves and the cries of seagulls circling overhead.

She treasured every single moment she had remaining on the beach, memorizing how it all looks and feels so that way, when she was in the Arena, so far away from home, she could look back on those memories and be reminded of home. Maybe, she thought, it will give me an added incentive to fight. Not only fighting for Coral and against Monica, but also my right to come back here.

Then she drifted her eyes closed, being lulled back to sleep by the roaring waves, imagining that it is rocking her back to the blackness.

"Wazzup, Okpik?"

Sedna opened her eyes to find Skeezer, dripping wet with saltwater, flashing a toothy grin, and clutching his surfboard by his side.

"Hey, Skeeze," Sedna said, "catch any good waves."

He shrugged his shoulders, "it was alright. Not the best, but they're bound to get better later this month."

"Yeah."

"Anyway, catch ya later," he said, walking back up the path, flashing her the hang loose sign before disappearing from sight.

Sedna got up on one knee and looked back out on the ocean, now completely alone. She watched as the waves swelled and crashed against the shore before receding back and repeating the cycle again. In one hand, she traced the carved pendant of a killer whale with her fingers, hoping that if Sedna, the old goddess of the sea and her namesake, was still around after so many millenia, that she would protect her in the Arena.

As she sat alone, she thought back on her life.

_When I was young I never once believed it would ever come to this. Me looking at the sea and trying to take in as much of it as I can before I am forced away from it. And I might never see it again. I live in District Four the District of wealthy careers and poor fishermen. But I am a poor fishermen career. No not a career, but I train. When I was eight a boy pestered me, for the fact of my short hair and the fact I wore overalls. He never saw me coming but it wasn't long to he was on the ground bloody and red with me not even scratched with my foot pressed into his stomachs. It was later that night I was offered the scholarship that is the blessing and the curse. I am trained yet being a scholar in a rich school is never fun. It only made me work harder._

And the hard work will pay off when she got to wear that Victor's circlet around her head.

* * *

A/N: The second-to-last paragraph comes from "Shattered Memories" by Sparrow Cries. It comes from Sedna's Reaping chapter, and I felt this section would be appropriate for the chapter and wrap up some loose ends before going into the epilogue.

So all credit goes to Sparrow for that.


	99. Epilogue

Theme: 61. Fairy Tale

"Oh Cinderella! You were wonderful out there," Ummi hollers. Those within earshot turn to find the plump District 4 mentor running up to the chariot carrying her tribute, her arms wide open. As Sedna steps off, she is nearly knocked back by the force of Ummi, who is wrapping her big arms around her upper arms and torso. Some of the tributes, their mentors, and their prep teams stop and stare at the spectacle.

"Ummi has some mental issues," Madelyna, the District 4 escort, explains to the tributes from 5 and 7, who are staring at Ummi and Sedna in disbelief. Was this normal behavior for mentors?

When Ummi releases her hold, Sedna steps back a little, rubbing her aching shoulders and arms. Some her black body paint has already rubbed off onto Ummi's clothes, but the older woman doesn't notice.

"I was listening in on some of the sponsors and they would totally sponsor you," Ummi chirps excitedly, grabbing hold of Sedna's hands and bobbing up and down on her toes like a hyper-active child. "You have a chance at a happy ending now, Cinderella!"

Sedna looks around the cavernous room underneath the training center where the chariots whisked them to. Tributes were being swarmed by mentors, stylists, prep teams, and escorts. Some of the tributes aren't really paying attention to what their mentors and escorts are saying. Instead, they're too busy watching the fat, eccentric female mentor from 4 hugging her tribute and calling her Cinderella. The boy from 11 snickers at the sight of the tough-looking girl being nicknamed after a fairy tale princess.

Sedna ignores them. Instead, she just turns back to Ummi and says in her softest, most polite voice, "we should take this celebration somewhere else. The other tributes might get jealous that they don't have as awesome of a mentor as you."

Ummi grins broadly. "Of course! And by the way, I just met with your stylist. You will not believe what he has for your interview dress. You'll look more like a princess in it."

Sedna plasters a fake grin on her face as Ummi ushers her into the elevator, praying that no one starts nicknaming her "Cinderella" for as long as she is in the Capital.

Ummi does not give up on the Cinderella moniker. She continues calling Sedna by that name and that name only for the rest of the week. And she continues selling that Cinderella image to anyone who will give her the time of day.

On the day of the interviews, Sedna spends a torturous day being made up, having her hair yanked and pulled and twisted until it forms a ridiculously tousled mess, and being tightly corseted into a dress that looked like it was made of rags. One of the straps was missing and the skirt was made of brown and cream colored cloth haphazardly stitched into a jagged, mess of a thing. Her feet were left bare and her face smudged with soot. When Sedna looked at herself in the mirror, it was obvious what Ummi was gunning for. Cinderella, the poor, dirty little scullery maid who could never go to the ball.

Caesar greets Sedna to the stage by telling her that she is "beautiful" despite the "eccentric dress and make up". As trained, Sedna gives him a dazzling smile before sitting down. "Yes, it was actually my mentor who suggested this. She loves fairy tales. She took an inspriation from the story of Cinderella."

"So I see," Caesar notes, "and what fairy tale do you like the best?"

"Cinderella, of course," Sedna lies. In actuality, she never cared for Cinderella. She liked Urashima, the boy who went to live in an under sea kingdom after saving a magical turtle, the best. He did something good and got rewarded for it. Cinderella just said out loud that she wanted to go to the ball. And that was it.

"Mine too," he says before launching into the interview.

When Sedna returns to the suite the District 4 tributes traditionally stay in, she strips off the gown and shaking the curls out of her hair until the fall down her back in a tangled mess that reeks of hairspray and pomade. Then she dresses herself in a silky green robe that matches her eyes and she collapses onto one of the big sofa's in the suite's living room. The television is on, broadcasting a recap of the interviews.

Frank is nowhere to be found.

The elevator doors open with a "ping" announcing its arrival and the rest of their entourage spills into the suite.

"Cinderella, you were just gorgeous tonight," Ummi exclaims. She plops down onto an adjacent sofa, her fat arms resting on her knees. A lock of black hair falls into her eyes and she pushes it behind her ear, smiling. Sedna can't help but return the smile. It was only polite. "I won't be surprised if you have sponsors lined all over the block. You were just that beautiful!"

No, I felt like one of those female impersonators I've heard about, Sedna thought sarcastically. The other girls were prettier than me. Especially the one from 2.

"Tomorrow is a big day, of course," Ummi continues babbling, "but I think you'll do just fine. You'll get your happy ending, and I, your fairy godmother, will help you on the way to that happy ending."

Cripes, what did your Games do to make you think like that, Sedna asks herself before dismissing the question. No, she knew what happened. Ummi received an electrical shock so bad it permanently scrambled her brain. The question is how did it scramble her brain to the point where she thought Sedna was Cinderella, that she was a fairy godmother, and that District 4 was some story book land.

The nicknames didn't just stop with them. Almost everyone in District 4 has received a fairy tale moniker from her. The hideously scarred fisherman with the violent temper and his lovely wife were Beauty and the Beast. The candy shop owners, Hansel and Gretel. The shipwright's narcoleptic wife, Sleeping Beauty. Ariel Finn, the gorgeous, redheaded tribute from last year, the Little Mermaid. One of the girls in town whom Nini is friends was dubbed Little Red Riding Hood for her red, hooded jacket. And the recluse who lived in the outskirts of District 4, near the electric fence, with his pack of wolfhounds and wore animal pellets became known as the Big Bad Wolf.

"Ummi," Sedna asks softly, "why do you keep calling me 'Cinderella'. I'm nothing like her."

"Don't me silly," Ummi exclaims, still wearing that foolish grin on her broad face. "You are Cinderella! Didn't you grow up poor?"

"Yes, but my mother is still alive and she's still married to my dad," Sedna explains. "And I don't have any wicked stepsisters. It's just Arnook and Nini, and they are nowhere near as evil. Annoying? Yeah, but they're younger than me. So I usually give them a free pass."

"But you worked hard!"

"That is true," Sedna agreed.

"And that girl, the nasty blonde one, then she must be the evil stepsister because she gets handed everything to you while you have to work hard," Ummi elaborates. "She gets all the special treatment because her father is rich and a Victor and everyone loves her for it. But you are poor, so you have to work twice as hard. Just like Cinderella."

"With her chores," Sedna explains. "She never had to train for the Hunger Games. In fact, she only got to marry the prince because the fairy godmother heard her crying, gave her a bunch of free stuff, and sent her to the ball. And she only married that prince because the glass slipper came in the right shoe size."

"Ugh, you don't get it," Ummi shouts, "you're Cinderella because you didn't have the life of that wicked stepsister everyone loves. And you wanted to be someone so you worked hard. And that hard work paid off. You get to go into the Arena and the fairy godmother felt sorry for Cinderella by giving her a chance to go to the ball. And I don't just do this for anyone. I haven't mentored in ten years! And I won't do this for anyone. But I'm doing it for you because I love your story and I want to see you have a happily ever after, Cinderella. You worked hard all your life, and you want to have a better life than the one before, where no one laughs at you and you have money and everyone can say, 'that girl made something of herself'. The other Cinderella worked hard and never complained and she gets to marry a prince while those nasty stepsisters get nothing! Nada! Zilcho! Zip!"

Sedna just stares at Ummi. What she was saying made sense and no sense at the same time.

Ummi continues her spiel. "You're not just Cinderella though. You're the Warrior Cinderella! You grew up poor and downtrodden by you fight back. You fight for a happy ending. There is no Prince in the Arena, so you have to be the Prince, the Slipper, and Cinderella working at the same time to fight and win and live happily ever after. But in the end, it will all work out. Because you are the Warrior Cinderella and that is what everyone will say of you when you come back from that Arena."

Ummi checks her watch. "It's getting late. You need sleep. C'mon here and let me give you a hug. It'll be a while before we do this again."

Sedna rises from the couch and walks over to Ummi, who wraps her in her arms. She returns the gesture.

"You fight in that arena, Warrior Cinderella," Ummi whispers into Sedna's ear. "Fight so that everyone can say that you earned your happily ever after. Fight so that in a hundred years, everyone will be singing about the poor girl who became the Warrior Cinderella and a hero for all of District 4."

"I will, Fairy Godmother," Sedna says. "I'll fight so that you can say that you gave me my happily ever after."

But Sedna knows she isn't just fighting for Ummi Higgs.

She's fighting for Coral.

For her family.

For Nori.

For everyone in the Breck.

For every poor girl who ever got bullied.

And most of all, for herself.

Because deep down in her heart, she wanted to return to District 4 as living proof that fishermen's daughters can and will win the Hunger Games.

* * *

A/N: Well, here is the end. The last month has been a doozy trying to finish up this story. And I am very happy to say that I got it done within my deadline.

As of writing this story, Sedna is now in the final 6 in "Shattered Memories" and SparrowCries is hosting a poll to determine the winner. If you want to see Sedna win and teach Monica Davenport a lesson in how money isn't everything and that fishermen's daughters can win the Hunger Games, do vote. :D

I realize that I'm missing a chapter. And honestly, I don't know which it is. Writing a cohesive story based on the 100 themes is a lot harder than it looks and I know there is a chapter missing. I just don't know what it is, although I know it wasn't a major chapter.

I just want to give a huge thanks to everyone who has been reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing this story. I also want to thank Sparrow Cries for giving us two wonderful stories and for putting up with all my PM's about questions regarding continuity and story details. You are the best. I also want to thank my friend WhispersofBliss. We had a good time with our chat sessions.

Last, but not least, I just want to say that all canon Hunger Games characters belong to Suzanne Collins. Details that happened in the chapters regarding the 60th Hunger Games also belong to her, as they're based on her story "Lost in the Darkness" while the characters in that story belong to their respective creators. Ann Fukuro also belongs to another creator, I don't know who, but you know who you are.

And so that's about it. I had a great time writing this story. I hope I get to write a sequel continuing Sedna's journey, but we'll see what happens when "Shattered Memories" reaches its conclusion.


End file.
